The aim of the American troops when they entered Afghanistan on Oct 7, 2001 was not only to avenge the terrorist attacks of September/11 but also to topple the Taliban and clean out Afghanistan and the region from the activities of Al- Qaida organization. In addition, to make sure that America and its allies will be saved from future Al-Qaida attacks.

Afghanistan, which at that time was the nest of Al-Qaida, as President George Bush stated (It is a moral obligation to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations). President Bush also promised that the US would raise the hope of the oppressed Afghan people. He promised to bring security there, develop and start the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

The US Air and ground forces toppled the Taliban government with the help of the Afghan Northern Alliance (an alliance of several Afghan political groups, who were fighting against the Taliban, from 1996 to 2001).
In early December 2001 the historical Bonn Conference was held in Bonn Germany, attended by several Afghan political groups, There were representatives of Northern Alliance, The Rome Group (under the direction of the last Afghan King Mohammad Zahir Shah), The Qibris group (which was an alliance of several small Afghan political factions) and the Peshawar Group (which was under the leadership of Pir Sayed Ahmad Gailani and Professor Sibqhatullah Mujadadi).

The representatives of United Nations, USA, Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan and Germany also attended this conference.

I was a delegate in that conference representing the Rome Group. The Conference finished with the agreement on the establishment of an interim administration and its task for the next two years.

Mr. Hamid Karzai was appointed as President of Afghanistan, with a cabinet of 30 ministers and I was given the responsibility of Minister of Public Works.

On the December 22, 2001, the new interim government took its responsibilities of running the country.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

Washington and the newly established Afghan government naively thought they had defeated the Taliban and Al Qaida and that it would be simple to bring Democracy into the country, but it was not the case.

Within one year, most of the Taliban have slowly melted in to the general Afghan population. At the same time, a number of Taliban and the members of Al Qaida and its leadership crossed the border, went to a safe haven Baluchistan and the North of Pakistan. These people were well connected with the people of that area and were welcomed by them.

Some members of the Taliban were captured and then were killed in the North of Afghanistan. A number of the Taliban leadership were imprisoned in Afghanistan Bagram Prison or were sent to Guantanamo Prison.
The Afghan and the US authorities believed that they had gained too much in such a short time and all the security issues in Afghanistan were under their control.

After one year of being in Afghanistan, the US forces have decided going enter Iraq, so its attention and consideration in to the war with Sadam Hussein was their top priority.

Taliban and Al Qaida were preparing for slipping into Afghanistan in a different way. This time they were, the enemy of the foreign forces and the Afghan government, and were considering for a long time insurgency.
The US did not have a Marshall plan for Afghanistan and they were lacking a clear long-term vision. Thus, instead they have flung money for the short-term projects thinking of winning the heart and minds of the Afghan people.

Most of these projects were of a very low quality, and there was this culture of subcontracting the projects to either a high official of the Afghan government, or their relatives, which the Afghan people were not impressed by this practice of corruption. Thus, some Afghans have withdrawing their support for the foreign forces and the Afghan government; instead, they turned their support to the Taliban. The Americans and NATO countries were not giving much attention to this would be coming big problem.

From the beginning of 2004 The Taliban were becoming stronger day by day, and they started attacking, US, NATO and Afghan forces inside Afghanistan.

The US, first believed that their problems would be solved if they injected money into Agriculture, the Afghan Army and then the reintegration of Taliban. However, none of these strategies were affective enough to stop the insurgencies growth.

ACHIVEMENTS:

When our first government was established in December 2001, I accompanied President Karzai, His Majesty Mohammad Zahir Shah in their meeting with the Afghan politicians, elders, scholars, religious leaders, community and tribal leaders. Along those meetings, there was a strong support of the Afghans for the American and ASAF forces. However, these representatives of the Afghan nation were asking for democracy, good governance, human rights, national unity, political and financial independency.

In a few years, the Afghan people knew that the International community and the Afghan government have not delivered their promises. Thus, most of the people became to be dissatisfied with Afghan government, and the assistance of the international community.

However, the financial assistance of the US and the rest of the international community that have contributed to most of the development have made some achievement in the development of Afghanistan. Throughout the past decade some of these achievements are; The new Afghan Constitution which was passed by the Loya Jirga in 2004

The first and second presidential, parliaments and provincial council election have taken place Afghans are seeing the blossom of democracy in its first stage Increased accesses to health care and education have made positive impact on the lives of ordinary Afghans Now more than any other time in the history of Afghanistan more than 5 million boys and more than 3 million girls are attending schools and higher education
More than 60% of Afghan population has access to mobile phones and other, electronic communications There are over 30 TV channels, more than 100 radio stations and hundreds of newspapers.

AFGHAN NATIONAL SECURITY FORCES:

In October 2001, the time when the US forces first entered Afghanistan there was no national defense system in place. When the American forces overthrew the Taliban, only the Northern Alliance was assisting the American troops.

On December 22, 2001 when the new Interim Administration took control of the government, ISAF, Northern Alliance and some other old Mujahidin commanders with their armed men were in control of Afghanistan's security.

Since then the US and NATO countries have contributed to the making of the Afghan National Force they have recruited a large number of soldiers from the old Mujahidin to be commissioned as regulars in the Afghan National Army and police force.

These Afghan National Forces are given only two weeks training before they are expected to be good soldiers. Now 350,000 Afghan forces are ready to defend their country. This week the NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that 'the Security responsibilities of the last provinces will be shifted to Afghan troops in the second half of 2013'.

From the past statements made by NATO military commanders and US strongly believe that the current Afghan military program is the most critical element in their effort to help Afghanistan develop the capability to secure itself.

On the other side the US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta stated that 'the international troops will not withdraw from Afghanistan hastily'. He said that Afghanistan should not be turned into a safe haven for Taliban and Al-Qaida.

President Obama and other members of his administration are giving contradictory messages to the American public, Afghan Nation and the NATO countries. Their confusing statements are raising many questions by Afghans and it future.

US President Obama on several occasions has made it clear that by the end of 2014 all US forces will be out of Afghanistan. He stated that Afghan National Security Forces would be capable of defending their country. Never the less he know well that, with cambained,130,000- ISAF soldiers and 350,000 Afghan National Security Forces in Afghanistan, still they cannot defend the country and cannot bring security in to the Afghan nation.

Sunday, April 15, 2012 Taliban coordinated attacks on Kabul and four other Afghan provinces can be a good example, it had cost the lives of 47 died and 65 injured. Both ISAF and the Afghan Security forces and their intelligence agencies had failed to stop this and other similar attacks.

It seems like everyone is forgetting that when the regime of Dr. Najibullah was replaced with the Mujahidin government in April 1992 Afghanistan had a strong, well trained, and disciplined National Security Forces. However, within a very short time, the enemy of Afghanistan cut that strong Afghan National Force to pieces and it was replaced with the warlord's militia forces. Each militia was fighting against one other. Because of that, fighting over 70,000 Kabul residents were killed. Thus, Afghanistan became to be safe haven for AL-Qaeda and the Taliban regime.

THE POLITICS OF EXIT STRATEGIES

It seems that General David Petraeus who commanded the NATO led international security assistance Forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan, now the head of the CIA wants to repeat the same exit strategy as he applied to Iraq.

Afghanistan is different to Iraq and that strategy would not work in Afghanistan. Several complicated strategies of US eliminating Taliban from Afghanistan did not work.

US strategy of defeating Taliban has had mixed results and yet they have not been successful, in bringing full security in to the Afghan nation.

At the end of March this year, a large number of Al-Qaida members have crossed from Pakistan into Afghanistan Nooristan and Kunar provinces and took control of several districts. So far, the US, NATO and Afghan forces are unable to free these districts from the control of the Al-Qaida members.

IN CONCLUSION:

The consensus among the Afghan people are that the American strategy in defeating insurgency in Afghanistan has not been as successful as it was in Iraq and therefore, in some way it has failed as a strategy of defeating the Taliban.

Now it is the well-founded fear of the Afghan people that after the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2014, there will be the repeat of 1992 in Afghanistan in terms of security and lawlessness.
The National Afghan Security Forces are not united in terms of giving national interests and national security priority. Most of them are still following the orders of their old militia commanders and political leaders. Thus, they will not be able to bring security into the Afghan people.

On Sunday April 15, 2012, US Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker warned (to get out before the Afghans have a full grip on Security which is a couples years out would be to invite the Taliban).

The question that needs to be answered is, after 2014 when foreign forces are out of Afghanistan, and the Security of the country is in the hand of Afghans. Then who can guarantee that the Afghan Security Forces will not be transformed into different militia forces, taking orders from their different commanders, tribal leaders and political groups. The fear is that they will be taking their modern arms and training with them and would start fighting with each other.

If this occurs, would the US and NATO countries send their forces back to Afghanistan or will they allow Afghanistan to once again be a safe haven for Al-Qaida and others and once again pose a security threat to the complete Western World?

REFERENCES:

1-A DECADE IN AFGHANISTAN: By Massimo Calabresi and Walid Fazly, John Wendle.

2-Afghanistan online News:

3-Times Magazines reports.