No one can neglect the phenomenon regarding the United States’ involvement in “establishing, sponsoring and strengthening” al Qaeda and similar militant groups. With the help of such militant groups, the US earlier succeeded not only in settling the Vietnam score with the former Soviet Union, but even plunged it towards disintegration. These groups even became “stairs” for the US secret services and armed forces personnel for directly landing in South Asia and Middle East. The US has now made up its mind for another adventure after realising its dream of “camping and influencing from Afghanistan and Iraq”.
Al Qaeda was destabilised with the “mysterious assassination” of its founder Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad on May 2. Like Osama, founder of Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA) Mullah Omar has accredited him as “second mystery” in the so-called war on terror, which could be considered a decisive episode of the “Great Game”. Through its secret service, the US already succeeded in disintegration and destabilisation of TTA. Since the middle of 2007, the CIA and UK’s MI-6 personnel and agents have been engaged in “secret hobnobbing” through informers and paid-agents.
Though the process is lingering since long, it got tremendous success after the assassination of Osama Bin Laden. In the light of such successes, the US had made a successful attempt for “restoration of links or resuming of friendship with the Taliban”. But fearing a renewed threat to the future of Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai had approached Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) headed by Engineer Gulbadin Hekmatyar. A powerful delegation of the HIA held detailed talks with President [Hamid] Karzai in Kabul.
When the US and UK agreed to “replace or substitute players” in the ongoing “Great Game”, they intended to woo none other than former “blue-eyed” or “remnants of the favourites” in the region. Analysts believe that the Taliban could prove useful and fruitful for the US as its policy makers have no interest in either vacating Afghanistan or let another rival getting benefits of its “hardships” in the ongoing war on terror. So far, US policy makers and think-tanks are carefully playing their cards and the Taliban might prove a “trump card” in this respect.
But President Karzai also remains alert. Remaining in close association with the US and the spy agencies of partners like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Karzai has learnt a lot. He is aware of the US and other forces’ intentions in the region. Utilising his “jihadi days” links with friends, he is attempting to utilise the services of HIA to foil the plots being made by the US and its allies in the region through Afghanistan. The HIA is considered the strongest religio-politico force and could emerge as a stable force in the near future of the war-stricken country.
Despite rifts and conflicting approaches on internal issues, both President Karzai and the HIA have similar views on external issues and insist on an end to all “external intervention and influence” in internal affairs of Afghanistan.
Karzai looking to foil US’s new move on Afghanistan
