The History of the Taliban
Following the removal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in the early 1990s, the Taliban emerged in northern Pakistan. It was predominantly a Pashtun movement mainly paid for by the country Saudi Arabia. This movement first appeared in religious seminaries.
The Taliban spent almost half a decade fighting for control over Afghanistan while preaching their version of Sunni Islam as that is why they came together.
With the aim of making Afghanistan a fully Islamic state. They ruled with the promise of restoring stability in the country by utilizing Islamic law and ruling in accordance with that law.
By the year 1998, the Taliban were mostly in control of about 90 percent of the country. Following the departure of the Soviets, ordinary Afghans grew weary of the fighting amongst the mujahadeen fighters.
Hence, they initially welcomed the Taliban as they saw them as a force against lawlessness conflict and corruption. Former Mujahideen fighters also make up several of the Talban’s members who were trained in Pakistan during Afghanistan’s civil war in the 1980s and the 1990s.[1]
Latest Talks Between Taliban and Afghan Government
Though the insurgent supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, said that he “strenuously favors” a political settlement to the conflict, there is still no significant progress. This was talked about in Doha on Sunday, 18th July 2021, being the latest talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
There were two days of intensive talks in Doha, as the Taliban Islamist movement makes a vast offensive move against Afghanistan. The senior representatives of the government in Afghanistan, which included the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah were flown in for these talks.
Their main aim was to revive the long-awaited peace talks, however what was discussed and what was agreed on in a joint statement, was that there was a need to reach a fair solution and that in order to do that they had to meet again next week.
As mentioned previously there were talks by the supreme leader too come up with a political settlement to the conflict, however the Qatari facilitator of the talks stated that at the end of the two-day conference, the sides merely agreed to “work to prevent civilian casualties”, which looking at past agreed cease fires can be deemed to be lacking.
Mutlaq al-Qahtani, Qatar’s counterterrorism envoy, who oversaw overseeing the talks for Doha mentioned that, “The two sides agreed to continue negotiations at a high level until a settlement is reached. For this purpose, they will meet again next week.”
For months on end both parties have been meeting sporadically in Doha the Qatari capital however have achieved close to little if any, significant success.
As the militants continue to make enormous gains on the battlefield these discussions that occur appear to have lost their initial momentum.[2]
The Elaborate Military Campaigns
The supreme leader of the Taliban, Akhundzada, has mentioned that they remain committed to creating a solution in order to end the war however, criticized the groups opposition for wasting their time.
As the processes of the last stages of the withdrawal of the United States and other foreign troops were occurring, the militants used this time to capitalize. they launched a series of lightning offensives all across Afghanistan.
To date the Taliban is deemed to have control over around, several important border crossings, half of the nation’s districts, and have proceeded to lay siege in a great number of the nation’s vital provincial capitals.
A spokesman for the security forces of Afghanistan has said, “We have recaptured 24 districts so far, our goal is to retake all the territories… We are ready to defend our country.” The fighters that are pro government have conducted around 244 operations as well as killed 967 “enemy” fighters, that includes key commanders.
Though there are several rumors of splits within their leadership they seem to appear as a united front who were operating under a very effective chain of command to be able to carry out intricate military campaigns.
However, there are still questions that remain over whether the Taliban’s leaders will be able to convince their commanders to abide by the potential agreement in place if it is signed and agreed upon. This will enable the public to understand just how much control the Taliban leaders have over their commanders.[3]
Though over the past years the Taliban have always denounced a series of short truces during important Islamic holidays, an example being, Eid. This stimulates hopes for a greater reduction of violence.
This however did not result in a cease fire ahead of the Eid holiday by the supreme leader of the Taliban during the talks in Doha.
The Taliban has been criticized for using this time to be able to reinforce their fighters and resupply which then allows them to launch their force on the nation’s security forces once this truce has reached its expiration date.
This seems to be the way that they are able to hide behind political stability, feeding into the nation’s pleas of peace, but instead attack back with more force and a revived group.[4]
Recent Conflict
On Sunday the Afghan government said it was recalling its ambassador and all their senior diplomats to Islamabad, over security threats that they are facing. In Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, the top envoys daughter was kidnapped for a brief amount of time just this week.
Subsequent to the Eid al-Adha holiday that is due to start on Monday, Islamabad has decided to host a conference of regional leaders to address the violence that has arisen once again.[5]
A Not so Happy Eid
Several individuals in Afghanistan are preparing for a relatively subdued Eid festival. This is because they realize that the country is in a dire situation and that the fighting is ongoing. This causes them stress and concern and allows for no festivities. Many are poor and in extreme worry about the increase in violence recently.
As the US-led military coalition was present for nearly two decades, this allowed for some security, however due to the removal of US-led troops and other foreign troops, there are rising fears that the Afghan forces will be swamped without the support from the foreign troops.
This will enable an absolute Taliban military takeover. It could also result in the start of a multi-sided civil war in a nation that is flooded with weapons after almost forty years of continuous fighting.[6]
How Does the Conflict Between the Taliban and Afghanistan Affect India?
There has been hints dropped by the government in Afghanistan that they could very well seek India’s military assistance in the future if the talks with the Taliban prove to fail. Farid Mamundzay, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India told NDTV on July 13, 2021 that, “should we not get to a stage in the peace process with the Taliban, then maybe a time [will come] where we would be seeking India’s military assistance in the years ahead.”
It was clarified, however, that Afghanistan will in no means be asking India to deploy troops. The assistance would be more in the form of technical support and training assistance.
There was a news report in June that cited Qatar’s special envoy for counter-terrorism and conflict resolution, Mutlaq bin Majed al-Qahtani, which outlined that he believed there had been a visit on the low by some Indian officials there to speak to the Taliban, as this organization is currently seen to be a vital component in any future the government of Afghanistan has.
Merely a day later, S Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister, pointed out that the internal Afghan talks had not come out with the result in a reduction of violence. He also stated that any settlement that was political had to “preserve the constitutional democratic framework.”
On July 14, 2021, Jaishankar spoke at the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) stressing upon the fact that peace negotiations were the only way to go. He mentioned, An acceptable compromise that reflects the Doha process, Moscow format and Istanbul process is essential. The future of Afghanistan cannot be its past. A whole new generation has different expectations. We should not let them down.
The challenge is to act seriously and sincerely on these beliefs because there are forces at work with a very different agenda. The world is against the seizure of power by violence and force. It will not legitimize such actions.
Director, Studies and Head of the Strategic Studies Programme at Observer Research Foundation, Harsh V Pant, told Moneycontrol that the nations (India’s) immediate priority was to protect its investments. However, he did also mention that “the priority is also to ensure that Afghanistan (under Taliban) doesn’t become an extension of Pakistan’s establishment.”
India’s foreign ministry has continuously denied any reports that Jaishankar has met with the Taliban delegation in Qatar, however they have not rejected that the meeting could have taken place at another level.
Arindam Bagchi, External Affairs Ministry’s Spokesperson, said at a news conference, “We have been engaging with Afghans across ethnicities as a friendly neighbor,” when asked questions about India and their engagement with the Taliban.
Essentially India’s main goal is to make sure that Afghanistan remains stable. Hence providing support for a democratic setup was the way to go. However, as the Taliban continues to gain power, they are the most important player as time passes in the Afghan political sphere for the country to negotiate with.
Because the Taliban is taking control of territory at such a rapid pace, India’s chances of coming to the negotiation table are quite lean. Though they are ready to settle for some kind of politically functional government in the capital.[7]
What has India Done?
India has actually provided aid in the form of building infrastructure. They have aided in the construction of basic health clinics, Afghanistan’s new Parliament building, several schools, a cricket stadium in Kandahar, and the Salma ‘friendship’ dam. They have also gifted the country Russian-made Mi-35 helicopters, ambulances, military vehicles, and buses.
The Afghan Red Crescent Society Programme was funded by New Delhi. They have also arranged medical consultations and arranged for free medicine in several cities and sent nutritional products for children.
India has also provided Afghanistan with technical advice and training assistance for the Afghan public servants and security personnel.
Mamundzay has also told the ANI agency that India could play an enormous constructive role in the peace process, of course in collaboration with other regional actors. “India can utilize its convening power to put more pressure on the Taliban through diplomatic channels to come to the negotiation table,” according to him.[8]
Conclusion
Clearly the country is in conflict with itself. The Taliban seems like they are here to stay and will continue prolonging peace talks to further their agenda. Afghanistan has been fighting their internal turmoil for decades as the power shifts from country to militant group and so forth. Will there be any peace for the future of the country? Only time will tell.
Reference-
- Mira Patel, “Who are the Taliban – Part I: From hardliners to moderates, is there a generational shift”, The Indian Express, July 22 2021, available at: indianexpress.com (last visited on 21/07/2021). ↑
- “Afghan government and Taliban to meet again after inconclusive talks”, FRANCE 24, 18 July 2021, available at: .france24.com. (last visited on 21 July, 2021). ↑
- “Taliban say they ‘strenuously favour’ political settlement to Afghanistan conflict”, Geo News, available at: .geo.tv (last visited on 21 July, 2021). ↑
- Supra to note 2 ↑
- Supra to note 2 ↑
- Supra to note 2 ↑
- Nachiket Deuskar, “Taliban blitzkrieg, palpable fear and India’s gambit: What’s happening in Afghanistan”, Moneycontrol, July 16 2021, available at: moneycontrol.com. (last visited on 22/07/2021). ↑
- Supra to note 7 ↑