Taliban: Money vs Heavens. The untold story
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby wouldn’t provide details about American-Taliban talks in Doha or outside the perimeter of Kabul airport except to confirm there are talks and communications between the two parties. The talks in Doha began under former president Donald Trump who said maybe Taliban can join our fight against terrorism. Those talks and communications continued under President Biden who earlier refused to pull U.S. troops from Iraq opting instead to switch the mission of the American troops from a fighting mission to one of advising and training beginning the end of this year. The number of US troops in Iraq was equal to the number of American troops in Afghanistan, about 2500 troops. Talking about Iraq we must point out that when ISIL first advanced into the Iraqi city of Mosul, Iraqi security forces fled leaving their US made weapons behind. ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) is a fanatic but Sunni group and the Mosul security troops were largely Sunni in a country divided along sectarian lines. Had the Mosul soldiers fired at the advancing ISIL they would been fighting for a Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad. The Mosul soldiers donned military uniforms not to kill fellow Sunni fighters but just to have good paying jobs.
A Taliban Mindset
With the Mosul model in mind let’s look at the Afghan security forces which were trained, equipped and funded by American tax payers for 20 years. These troops were not a fighting force. They simply donned uniforms to receive salaries. They were not going to fire at Taliban not only because Taliban is a fellow Muslim, yet militant, group, but also because Taliban represents the majority ethnic group in Afghanistan—the Pashtun. Many of the government’s troops were ethnically Pashtun.
Not a Single Shot
The Afghan national army hardly fired any shots at the advancing Taliban. Despite a trillion dollar the US had spent on building an army and a nation, money was not going to change a basic mindset rooted in religious beliefs and ethnicity. Although Taliban is seemingly militant the group is diverse in its membership, including members belonging to the Hanafi school of Islamic law. That’s one reason many in the Afghan national army identified, if not totally sympathized, with the advancing Pashtun-centered Taliban. While the Afghan army lacked the motivation to fight fellow Pashtun Muslims the Taliban itself is motivated to die as means to go to the Jannah or heavens.
B-52 for Show
The US did not need to use the B-52 bombers to eliminate the advancing columns of the Taliban on their basic pickup trucks on highways. Drones, helicopters and lighter aircraft could have easily accomplished the job. The lack of US determined and decisive actions to stop Taliban before reaching Kabul is an indication that a deal was struck in Doha between the Americans (including the administrations of both Trump and Biden) and Taliban. The deal is suspected to include a modified Taliban policy/ practice toward civil rights especially those of women and a commitment to help the US fight terrorism in return for US withdrawal and allowing Taliban to rule Afghanistan again.
A Short-term Commitment
The US government rushed to pull out its troops from Afghanistan when it could have delayed to give Taliban an incentive to negotiate a diplomatic deal with the Kabul government in the Doha talks. The chaotic rush to withdraw and lack of shots fired would seem to indicate a desire not only to allow Taliban to reach Kabul bloodlessly but also to force topple the Ashraf Ghani government peacefully. But if there was a secret US-Taliban deal for real through the Doha talks the question is: Can the Taliban be trusted on the longer term to change its policy/practice?
The answer is NO. The Taliban and a large portion of the Afghan population fundamentally believe that those policies/practices are religiously mandated as the only and best path to the Jannah of heavens.
It is possible that Taliban will not allow Al Qaeda on the short term to re institute a presence in Afghanistan. It is possible that Taliban may not allow ISIL to operate from Afghanistan. It is possible that Taliban will report on such terrorist groups to the US. It is also possible that the US will have the means to successfully monitor and fight the presence of such groups before they constitute a real threat. But there are already about twenty terrorist or fanatic groups inside Afghanistan. They kept a low profile while the US had troops in the country. Will the Taliban, with its diverse sub groups, report to the Koffar (infidels) the presence and activities of militant Islamic groups?
Doubtful. The Taliban, and the largely medieval Afghan society, will not on the long term block their own path to heavens. More by the Author
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