President Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan to oust the Taliban government. The Taliban is an extremist Muslim organisation. It ruled Afghanistan by enforcing a primitive form of the Sharia and attacking everything connected with America. They also sheltered the notorious criminal Osama Bin Laden. The Taliban were defeated and the US installed a friendly government in Kabul.15 years down the line the war against the Taliban is still on and victory is not in sight. One can recall that in 2007 and 2009 a big surge of ground troops was ordered by the US presidents.
Despite this and a relentless air bombardment, the Taliban have not been defeated. The Afghan government's writ runs only around Kabul and some small pockets in the country. Despite heavy bombing by the USAF, the Taliban have consolidated their hold in 70% of the Afghan countryside. Victory is nowhere in sight.
US general staff failure
This is a sad commentary on the efficacy of the US general staff who have not been able to bring about victory in 15 years. Where is the chance that they will win the war in the next 15 years as well? Yesterday, B- 52 Bombers of the United States Air Force bombed the Taliban controlled area close to Kabul. Military analysts are wondering how one of the famous principles of warfare "control of the air" has not brought victory in the Afghan war.
The reasons are deeper and American general staff have to sit back and analyse as to why the American army has not been able to win the war after 15 years of fighting in Afghanistan
Pakistan factor
One reason the Americans have not been able to win is the involvement of Pakistan in Afghanistan. There is a failure by the American presidents to recognise this fact.
This has led to hundreds of American soldiers being killed in ongoing battles in Afghanistan. Pakistan is supporting one faction of the Taliban called the Haqqani group. They are given sanctuary inside Pakistan. The US government has also been treating Pakistan with kid gloves. They allowed Pakistan to go nuclear and no American president thought of bombing the nuclear facilities of Pakistan.
Pakistan is also guilty of nuclear proliferation and their head of nuclear research Dr Abdus Khan sold nuclear know-how to Iran and Korea. Earlier the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had indicated that Pakistan was supporting the Haqqani faction of the Taliban against the Kabul government. Nothing happened after this assessment.
Future
The war in Afghanistan will linger on and one wonders what plan the US has to bring about victory there. There is the stark fact that America either lost or created chaos, where ever they intervened after 1950. It's about time Donald woke up to this reality.
