Afghanistan; a Graveyard of Empires

Afghanistan is a land-locked country with an area of 252072sqmi. Afghanistan is a mountainous country. Arma, Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Salang are famous mount ranges in Afghanistan. The country is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan to the north, and China to the northeast. Moreover, Afghanistan is a multiethnic and tribal region. Pashtun, Hazara, Uzbek, Tajik, and Baloch are famous tribes of Afghanistan.

Historically, Afghanistan was a large part of the Indus valley civilization. Alexander the Great and his Macedonian army arrived in Afghanistan in 330 BCE. Since then, Afghanistan remains an important part of many empires including, the Ghaznavi, Ghori, Timuri, and Durrani empires. Most of them made Afghanistan their capital. After the above-mentioned kingdoms, Britain entered the Indian region in the early 17th century. They defeated Indian Mughal Empire and taken over India. During the mid of 19th century, the British army fought a war with Afghanistan to take control of the country. The war is called the first Anglo-Afghan war. Britain's Empire won the war and installed her puppet government in Kabul. (Capital of Afghanistan). Additionally, Britain failed to establish law and order in the country. The basic reason for the failure was freedom fighters tribes of Afghanistan who fully opposed the presence of Britain's Empire on their land. However, when British Indian forces left the country, the then Afghanistan government fell to the local Afghan tribes. The tribes had taken back their rule that was snatched by Britain's forces. Therefore, the Anglo-Afghan war is known by the British as a disaster in Afghanistan.

Later on, on December 24, 1979, the then Federation of socialist Soviet Union (USSR) intervened in Afghanistan. Under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship treaty of 1978; the USSR installed Babrak Kamal as the head of the state. The Babrak was from the people’s Democratic party of Afghanistan. In addition to this, resistance fighters, called Mujahidin, declared Jihad (Holy war) against the Soviet Union. Mujahidin used guerilla tactics against (USSR). They would attack or raid quickly, then disappear into the mountains. Furthermore, the Mujahidin were helped by America. The United States of America gave famous shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles. The missiles allowed the fighters to shoot down Soviet planes and helicopters. After a heavy loss in the Afghan war, new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev decided to pull off from Afghanistan. Demoralized and with no victory, Soviet troops left Afghanistan on 15 February 1989.

On September 9, 2001, two planes hit the American world trade center. The attack caused more than 3000 deaths and left several wounded. Al-Qaeda’s (terrorist organization) leader Usama bin Laden was held accountable for the attack. The then-American President George Bush ordered the mujahidin government in Afghanistan to hand over Usama who was hidden in Tora Bora Mountains in Afghanistan. The Afghan government refused to accept the American demands and asked for sufficient proof that Usama Bin Laden was really involved in the attacks. In addition, the Afghan government’s denial of the American order resulted in the American invasion of Afghanistan. America launched Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Furthermore, after the launch of the above-mentioned operation, Mujahidin split into pieces. Later on, Mullah Omar (An Islamic school called (madrassa) student) assembled a small group to fight against foreign troops and local government in Kabul. The group is known as The Taliban. Mullah Omar's forces not only combated against NATO and the USA but also destabilized the local government in Afghanistan. The Taliban used guerilla warfare techniques against American and NATO forces. Guerilla warfare is a war strategy in which a small group of combatants use hit and run tactics to fight a larger military. Similarly, Mountainous areas of Afghanistan helped the Taliban to use guerilla warfare against the forces. On the other hand, the Taliban utilized their soviet union's leftover arms against the allied forces. Moreover, the Taliban were helped by Iran and Russia in terms of arms and ammunition supply (wall street journal). Therefore, the Taliban remained successful to fight against their much larger enemy.

After years of war, both America and the Taliban agreed to dialogue for peace in the country. Big stakeholders in Afghanistan such as Pakistan, Russia, and China played their part in peace negotiations between America and the Taliban. Later on, in February 2020, a peace deal was signed between the US and The Taliban. According to the deal, the United States and its NATO allies would withdraw their all troops within 14 months, and the Taliban upheld the promises; including not allowing Al-Qaeda and other militants to operate in areas it controlled and proceeding with national peace talks. After the deal, negotiations were also conducted between the Taliban and American backed Ashraf Ghani government. However, the government failed to settle its conflicts with the Taliban leadership. Later on, on 15 August 2021, the Taliban took control of Kabul. They entered the presidential palace and declared an end to the 20 years war. The Taliban announced an amnesty for all their enemies. Currently, the leadership of the Afghan Taliban is working to form a government in Afghanistan. Similarly, China, Russia, the USA, and Britain have given positive signals to work with the Taliban government if they fulfill their promises to protect civil rights in Afghanistan.

Therefore, Afghanistan rises as a graveyard for superpowers of the world. People of Afghanistan always oppose foreign presence on their land. They have the capability to fight against a much larger enemy.  However, Afghanistan is the heart of Asia. Peace in Afghanistan is mandatory for regional prosperity. Peace in the country is important for trade with central Asian countries and Russia. Afghanistan was an important part of the old silk route and it is still a focal point for future trade of the world. Thus, it is time for the Afghan leadership to bring peace and prosperity to the people of Afghanistan so that they can avail themselves of the opportunity to live peacefully.