Ripples in Kabul

As many analysts had predicted, there seems to be trouble brewing in Kabul over the deal struck between the US and the Taliban. The elected Afghan government of President Ashraf Ghani has so far been totally left out of the process under Taliban objections, and its supporters are expressing concerns over the future of Afghanistan where turbulence continues to exist, there is no full accord and hard-line Taliban elements could once again take control of the country.

The atrocities committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan until the US invasion of 2001 are still fresh in the minds of many. Women and members of minority groups were the worst sufferers. With no party other than the US and the Taliban engaged in the peace dialogue, ordinary Afghans are concerned. A spokesperson for President Ghani has said that while the government favours all moves towards progressive peace it does not wish to see a repeat of the bloodshed or the discrimination against certain sections of population which had so badly damaged Afghanistan in the past. Zalmay Khalilzad, the special envoy for the US on Afghanistan, had always said that the Afghan government would finally be made a part of the dialogue. This has not happened. Khalilzad is in Kabul again engaged in talks with Afghan officials who have made clear their sentiments. It is also being pointed out that the Taliban continue to conduct militant operations taking control of more parts of the country.

For their part the Taliban argue that the Ghani setup is entirely a puppet government of the US and has no standing in Afghanistan. However, there are active civil society groups in Afghanistan that were briefly included in the discussions but not fully engaged. The suspicion is that rather than the future of Afghanistan President Donald Trump is anxious to ensure a major US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by November this year when the US presidential campaign gets underway. The Ghani government is meanwhile concerned about the Afghan presidential elections scheduled for this month. The Taliban have suggested they will not allow these to go ahead. The Taliban have also given a commitment that they will not allow Afghan soil to be used by militants, but critics of the deal point out this would be hard to enforce once the US pullout occurs. It is obvious that the US and all foreign troops need to leave Afghanistan. They have already created mayhem. However, at the same time it is vital that Afghanistan not be left in the lurch as happened before and no time be taken to work out details of the accord which the Afghan government says it would like to be informed about. This after all is critical to the Afghan people who eventually matter more than the election hopes of Mr Trump or anyone else.