Signs of Russian Interference in Afghanistan!

Taliban militants have stormed the Afghan city of  Ghazni few days back

                Now this is a mere coincidence or something else that our electronic media is on its peak for breaking news and analyses but all this exercise is limited to internal war for power or allegations laid by politicians on their political opponents. On the other hand, Pakistani media is ignoring all those developments outside Pakistan that are either directly linked with stability of Pakistan or expected to have effects on Pakistan. There is a need to discuss on our electronic media that why Taliban chose to attack and capture Qunduz during meeting of General Assembly of UNO? Why they did not attack and capture Qunduz few months ago? If they had captured Qunduz then why did they withdrew from Qunduz after 3 days of capture? Why did not Afghan govt. use force to reclaim Qunduz from Taliban? Most importantly, why did Afghan army decide to flee and hand over the city to few hundred Taliban despite of having APCs, modern weapons and ammunition and ten thousand soldiers?

AF-3-Taliban militants including bombers and gunmen,  launched an assault on Ghazni, central Afghanistan

                Now Taliban are saying that they withdrew from Qunduz for safety of citizens of Qunduz. Why did Abdullah Abdullah, Co-President of Afghanistan, left no stone unturned to defame Pakistan in his speech in General Assembly of UNO? Had any deal been finalized between Taliban and Afghan Govt. to defame Pakistan in the meeting of UNO in which Taliban in return freed their important millitants imprisoned in the prison of Qunduz? Was this attack and capture drama planned to counter the evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan that Pakistan was going to handover to UNO?

Afghan First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum  (left) meets with Chechnya's Ramzan Kadyrov in Grozny on October 5, 2015

                Now the news are that although Taliban have withdrawn from Qunduz but Ghazni is under their attack. According to Reuters, Taliban have captured only road that links Kandahar with Kabul. Taliban are seizing entrance and exit ways of Ghazni. Fighting between Taliban and Afghan army is going on since last three days. Due to the attack of Taliban, traffic bound towards Kabul from Qandahar and Ghazni is jammed due to which many cars, buses, wagons and goods carrying trucks have been trapped. Passengers trapped in this traffic jam have appealed Taliban and Afghan govt. seize fire for few hours so that trapped people may either go to Kabul or return back to Qandahar. Perhaps until the publishing of this article, Taliban might have withdrawn from Ghazni as well giving a clear message to the world that they can challenge writ of Afghan govt. wherever and whenever they like.

Dostum Expected To Lead Northern Anti-Taliban  Offensive

                An important aspect is that when Pakistan was blamed for Taliban’s capture of Qunduz, Pakistan rejected the allegations that how can Pakistan help Taliban that are 580 kilometers away in the north of Afghanistan? Whole world accepted Pakistan’s stance. Moreover, due to the attack of US Air Force on the hospital in Qunduz, the propaganda against Pakistan failed to get the attention of the world. Ghazni is located on the border of Pakistan. If we see on the map, there are five provinces of Afghanistan on the border of Pakistan. The road under attack of Taliban is the only road that runs parallel to the Pakistani border from Kabul to Qunduz via Bigram.

AF-4-China Russia Train Map and trade route

                Another important development in the situation is that Ex-General of Afghan Army and important warlord of Central Afghanistan “Rasheed Dostum” one week before Taliban’s capture of Qunduz, visited Russia and Chechnya. He met with important officials of Putin establishment and requested Russia to support Afghanistan against terrorists. Russia declined to send ground troops however, promised to support Dostum through air force and modern weapons. According to the news from Russia, Russians have concerns over rapid establishment of ISIS in Afghanistan which might have effects in Chechnya as well. If Russians use their air force against ISIS in Afghanistan as they did in Syria then what would be the reaction of Americans? Will Western allies support American reaction over such expected aerial attacks by Russia or they will remain silent? Until now US Air Force rules Afghan air space; moreover, USA has 12000-16000 soldiers deployed in various cantonments and airbases in Afghanistan. If USA remains silent over Russian air attacks (under the garb of airstrike against Taliban or ISIS), then US writ in the Afghanistan will be challenged and this might harm US interests in the region as well. On the other hand if USA resists Russian airstrikes this would support the allegations that USA herself is the creator of ISIS or DAESH. Increasing distances between Russia-India and increasing trade, telecommunications and defense ties between Russia-China, forecast that Pakistan’s importance is once again going to be increased. In order to understand the changed scenario we need to discuss but our media has no time for it…

Urdu Copy

Written by Khalid Baig,

Published in Daily Nawa-i-Waqt,

Date: 18 October 2015.