Christmas and New Year is being celebrated across the globe including Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of westerners having military and civil engagements in Afghanistan celebrated the Christmas Day. N

ATO troops stationed at ISAF compound in Kabul International Airport celebrated Christmas by attending special church service, lighting candles and singing carols. It is definitely the wish of every foreign soldier to be with their friends and family in their own countries. 33,000 US soldiers who have already left Afghanistan must be feeling themselves quite lucky. Fighting in Afghanistan has never been an easy job.

Christmas Day conveys messages of love, happiness, tolerance and peace. On this day, sacrifices of foreign and Afghan soldiers for peace and stability in Afghanistan and the world must be remembered. The war in Afghanistan has taken lives of thousands of military forces and civilians in the last decade. Unfortunately, despite loss of all those invaluable lives, peace in Afghanistan has fallen in deep uncertainty. The country is facing serious security challenges, especially at times when the international troops are withdrawing from here.

The drawdown process of US and other NATO forces continues. The withdrawal process is expected to complete in 2014 after NATO troops hand over the security responsibilities of all Afghanistan to Afghan security forces. The presence of US forces after 2014 will only be at the invitation of the government of Afghanistan. They will not be in combat role but in supporting role.

Withdrawal of NATO troops is taking place at times when the lowest level of security prevails in Afghanistan, the enemies are still at large and the process of peace – reconciliation and negotiation with Taliban – misses a clear strategy. The Afghan people are being kept uninformed and meetings in this regard are taking place so secretly.

According to many, the withdrawal process will leave certain negative impacts on the security and economy of Afghanistan. It will mean putting the ten year gains in education, women and human rights, freedom of expression, democracy and civil society at great stake.

At the same time, the political solution on which there is much emphasize from Afghan and western authorities, seems to be at the discretion of Taliban.
For Afghanistan to move towards peace and stability it will need international support for a long run and everyone knows it. There is need for clear strategy about the future of Afghanistan and its government must provide such a strategy.