Last March, from the 15th to 22nd, 2011, I was invited to speak at the seminars regarding Afghanistan organized by the European Network of NGOs in Afghanistan (ENNA) held in Brussels, The Hague, and Budapest. Referring to an American newspaper in my speech, I had said that 90% of Afghan people had no knowledge of the September 11 terrorist attacks and how they were related to Afghanistan at the time the United States and NATO troops began Operation Enduring Freedom. The first seminar took place in the European Parliament, and a Belgian journalist asked what exactly I meant by saying "had no knowledge." As it was clearly stated in the newspaper with reference to the original report, Afghan people could not understand why their land was occupied as a result of terrorist attacks on U.S. soil carried out by al-Qaeda.
Even though they had communication problems, the Afghan people, sooner or later, were informed of the 9/11 attacks. What I meant was not that they were kept unaware or uninformed of it, but that the people of Afghanistan could not understand the sudden military landing of the U.S. and NATO forces comprising of tens of thousands of soldiers. There is no doubt that September 11, 2001 was a historic day for both the American and Afghan people. However, Americans and Afghans hold different perceptions toward it. It has been ten years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. So, could we really understand the reasons for what happened in Afghanistan during this decade? Is there a winner after all these operations? More importantly, has there been any improvement in the quality of life for Afghan people during this process?
As a result of former U.S. President George W. Bush's imposition of "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists," almost everyone in the Western world thought that they understood the reasons for Operation Enduring Freedom, which was that it would be a response to the 9/11 attacks. Dismantling, defeating, and destroying al-Qaeda and the Taliban, saving Afghanistan from instability and the ongoing 22-year war, and by doing so bringing democracy to Afghanistan were among the main goals of the operation. When we look back at the past ten years, we see that none of these goals have been accomplished. The incidents and impact of violence are increasing, the military and civilian casualties are higher than ever, and everyone is looking for a way to escape from this mess.
There is a reality that lies behind the Afghan War, which is the longest war in American history: If you are not winning, you are losing. Many sources indicate that the number of Taliban militants is about 20,000 at maximum, and 500 billion USD were spent in the fight against the Taliban in the last decade. There is no other way to describe this but as clear failure. The U.S. and NATO countries are planning to withdraw their forces by end of December 2014, so that they do not drag themselves into a worse situation both economically and politically by staying in that land longer. Scattered and defeated in the post-2001 process, the Taliban gained power after 2006 and redeployed in many provinces throughout Afghanistan. Many Afghan people who are aware of this reality fear that the Taliban could arrive at the forefront of the Afghan political system following the withdrawal of Western troops.
Compared to the Afghanistan of the Taliban regime that was overthrown ten years ago, a lot more children are in school, a lot more people have access to health services, and there are many social opportunities especially in big cities today. However, even this picture is not able to reassure Afghan people of their future. They are aware that the increasing insecurity and instability in the regions NATO transferred to Afghan authorities may once again take away these developments. And if there is one thing they would never want to happen again, it is another civil war...
Salih Doğan is an Afghanistan expert and a PhD candidate at the School of Politics and International Relations at Keele University, UK. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or www.salihdogan.blogspot.com.
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