NATO's decade mission of war on terror in Afghanistan seems gloomy, measuring their long-term devotion in the fight against violence and discrimination. The current status of Afghanistan seems likely compared with a decade back, when the Taliban was ruling. There seems considerable achievement in so many aspects of life, such as human rights, education, health and freedom of media. People truly feel like living a life free of violence from the belligerent factions who have been rolling Afghanistan to gain their personal and political ambitions at the cost of bloodshed.
In fact, a war-torn country like Afghanistan where there has been more than three decades of war is not easy to cover within ten years. It needs lots of work and devotion to establish a permanent peace and bring a real stability.
Similarly, today what we have achieved in the last ten years seems fragile. The withdrawal process of international community led by US makes the people think of the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan that led to a horrifying bloodshed and civil war which spoiled all the achievements that the Soviet Union gained in Afghanistan with much sacrifices.
People are afraid of seeing Afghanistan steeped in bloodshed once again just like after the Soviet Union left Afghanistan. The government seems not to be ready to overcome the certain challenge ahead and to make sustain all these achievements beyond 2014.
The insurgents were just waiting for a time to see the defeat of US-led international forces just like the Red Army and its allies from Afghanistan with ill intentions to destroy the peace being acquired in the country. They consider the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan not a time-based withdrawal but rather a defeat.
This is not what the majority of Afghans wants. The current status of Afghanistan doesn't require the international forces to leave Afghanistan in such condition. Afghanistan is still in a horrifying position to be able to deal with the laying challenges. Yet, it is just the end of the beginning; there are lots of promises to be fulfilled before leaving the Afghan people in such perplexing condition.
The international community should keep on supporting the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) beyond 2014 to make them able to keep a significant footprint beyond 2014. This will help to reduce the uncertainty about the destination of Afghanistan. But the rapidly deteriorating security and political situation make the allies less optimistic about the capacity of the Afghan government to cover the situation within the next two years.
Of the very particular concerns are the political reform, Security and financial challenges, reconciliation with the Taliban before the withdrawal of International community which seems a bold challenge to adjust.
In addition to that the insurgents have also changed their tactic of fighting from direct confrontation with the NATO and ANSF.
From 2011 onwards, they have inflicted ever more causalities on NATO and ANSF than ever before. Their constant high profile assassination created a panic among the politicians and other senior government officials. In the year 2011, they have proved that they still hold the power to defeat the Afghan government and its allies, as their several time indications are that they even don't consider the Afghan government to face the Taliban for single hours if the foreign forces don't support the Afghan forces. They simply ignore the presence and power of Afghan government.
Objectively speaking, observing the ground realities, the Afghan government seems very perplexed and has completely lost the direction. President Karzai has politically become isolated at home and abroad. He has sidelined from the peace talks by the Taliban, who want direct talks with the U.S. administration and that he has not been able to improve his relationship with the Obama administration, instead their relationships got deteriorated.
In the same way, the effective involvement of the foreign hands in destroying peace and stability in Afghanistan is another threat to the survival of Afghan government after the foreign troops leave Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, recently the Defense Secretary of the United States, Leon Panetta's announcements of transferring the security responsibility to the Afghan army by 2013 seems quit unlikely. Analysts and observers are of the view that the ANSF don't have the capability to be able to take the lead role in the next two years and need more training and equipment to fight with Al Qaeda backed Taliban militants!
It is wisely said that people will survive in Kabul depends on the presence of US military and the international financial support, assistance and security forces who should come as a collective and twisted force in the fight against injustice and discrimination with a unity. Because an unsystematic military transition and a failed constitutional transfer of power in 2014 would lead to a political meltdown in the country, taking the lead to an overall responsibility without the support of the international forces will likely fail.
Above all, the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan means the ultimate return of the Taliban and the government would collapse forever. There won't be any chances for survival after the international community and forging forces leave Afghanistan.
The best possible way to get survived is to stay in Afghanistan until they get a bit stable and become capable of controlling both the political and economic situation. Only peace talk with the Taliban won't guarantee a stable, prosperous and self-resilience Afghanistan. Only peace talk won't maintain the acquired sustainability. This is the time that the reconciliation with the Taliban decides the future of Afghan people and this country and the government must contemplate before any decision.