Daily Times

Everyone is losing the war in Afghanistan. That much is clear. Apart from the Taliban, seemingly.

The latter have refused to play ball regarding President Ghani’s call for a Ramzan ceasefire. This comes not so hot on the heels of Kabul’s unconditional peace package that has all but been rejected by the militants. Primarily on the grounds that it provided no timetable for a foreign troop withdrawal. It also urged the Taliban to recognise the government.

In a poignant reflection of just who is on the back-foot, the group has come up with its own ‘amnesty’ package. This is extended to all national law enforcement agents — from the army to the police to private militia — as well as government employees. In short, all those who turn their back on what the Taliban see as an American puppet regime can expect to have both life and wealth protected.

This to and fro between the Ghani regime and the militants would be laughable if there were not so much at stake. Not least because no one but the Taliban have remained steadfast in their objectives. Donald Trump swept into the White House on an agenda that included cutting-and-running in Afghanistan. Yet instead, he has overseen a troop surge and has taken an exit timetable off the table. In fact, the British are now scheduled to return more than 400 troops back to the quagmire that they had quit back in 2014. However, they will be restricted to training missions only.

What becomes increasingly clear is that no one has a concrete plan for post-conflict peace. This is worrisome, to say the least. After all, a BBC study published at the beginning of the year found that the Taliban threaten or are openly active in a whopping 70 percent of Afghan districts; fully controlling 4 percent of the country and demonstrating a strong physical presence in 66 percent. This is in sharp contrast to NATO claims at the end of last year that put the Taliban in contest or control of some 44 percent of the country’s districts. All of which begs the question as to just how effective, say, Britain’s non-combative presence will be. Not that we here at this newspaper would like to see an upward turn in foreign military aggression next door. For not only is this the last thing that the Taliban want — it is not what the Afghan people need.

All of which turns attention to Pakistan. But even here, the goalposts appear to be constantly shifting. For the Americans have gone from demanding that this country do more, more, more to secure the quagmire. To putting the onus on Islamabad to get the Taliban to the negotiating table. Presently, both Washington and Kabul seem to have settled for pinning all their hopes on Pakistani religious scholars being able to persuade the militants to down arms and talk peace. Indeed, a conference of clerics from both sides of the Durand Line is on the cards over the coming months.

We doubt that the Afghans will be holding their breath. Sadly. *

Published in Daily Times, May 20^th 2018.