Date Written : Nov 16, 2001
Date Modified : Nov 29, 2001
Is Taliban out of Gandhar (in modern history called as Kandahar) ?
CIA has said that one of its officers had been killed, the first American to die in the ground campaign to nab Osama bin Laden alive or dead. Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann was working for the clandestine service of the agency, the Directorate of Operations and was killed on the front lines. Thousands of American troops have landed in Afghanistan and have launched a land assault on historic town of Gandhar, now called Kandahar.
Earlier, US warplanes bombed a leadership compound in Afghanistan on Nov 27, but where are the blaster-minds Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar. They seem to have already fled Gandhar after giving a partial handover to local Pashtun warlords. According to unconfirmed reports, after Kabul, if Taliban decides to withdraw from Gandhar which is its southern stronghold, then they may either shift the base to the mountains in the neighbouring regions or in Pakistan. Almost after seven years since Taliban captured Gandhar, Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has appointed his deputy and may decide to hand it over to him or some former pashtun commanders who will be pro-Taliban as required and requested by Pakistan.
Pakistan wants to avoid a complete fall of Gandhar
But why ( will ) the change of hands voluntarily happen and happily accepted by Pakhtun leaders? The warlords, who were toppled by Taliban exactly seven years ago -- in November 1994 -- (may) have been given charge. These warlords were the enemies of the Taliban seven years back. How can enemies turn into friends, all of a sudden? Quiet simple. Pakistan is trying to use the only uniting factor of the religion and that is Islam. Pakistan wants to stop the war or else they will be exposed for the Al-Qaida connection. Pakistan was trying to convince US to stop bombing Afghanistan before Ramzan, but US had its own planned timetable. It does not seem likely that US will stop bombing till Afghanistan is Taliban-free.
Now that Kabul is no more under Taliban control and Pakistani Air Force helicopters pulled out two of their top military commanders and others trapped in besieged town of Konduz, Pakistan has lost the war in Konduz. It seems that US has done what it wanted and were successful in Mazar-e-Sharif, Kabul and Konduz. The bombings on Gandhar are continuing in the period of Ramzan and talks are going on in Bonn, but Pakistani voice may not be heard.
Pakistan wants to retain United Afghanistan as an Islamic country because it will help them in future. Lot of Pakistanis are getting killed in Afghanistan and as the days go by, ISI and MI of Pakistan are getting exposed of being running terrorist camps and madarsas in its country, Pakistan will try for United Afghanistan with its hold on the new government to be formed. This way it can retain the terrorist camps in Afghanistan, shift the camps from its country to neighbouring countries and increase them in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Pervez will be free to say that his country does not harbour terrorists and hence will avoid being getting added to the list of countries to be bombed by US.
Gandhar, the southern stronghold of Taliban will also fall in the days to come, but US needs to think on the History of Afghanistan and the ill-interests of Pakistan.
Part II -- UN needs to follow Yugoslovia model in Afghanistan.
Also read :NA Marching into Kabul without resistance from Taliban - A Pakistani ploy to protect Al-Qaida
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