From the Editorial Desk (Oct-2021)

Dear Readers,

That the U.S. has a very poor history of making efforts to learn the lessons of many of its recent wars is an understatement, the irony is that it is already focusing on other strategic issues and the crises that cropped up following its abrupt and ill planned withdrawal from Afghanistan in the dead of night after 20 long years of war. When the 9/11 Commission released its report in July 2004, all political leaders, Democrat and Republican alike rushed to embrace the recommendations, not to be left behind the US media received the report as the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Eminent theologian and author David Ray Griffin has put the report under a microscope in his book The New Pearl Harbour where the report appears to be ‘much shabbier’. He concludes that there are holes in the places where detail ought to be thickest. When held up to the light of eyewitness reports, research and the dictates of common sense  the Commission charged with the task of investigating all facts relating to 9/11 succeeded in obscuring, rather than unearthing, the truth.

The stunning and rapid takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban sparked some soul-searching in some quarters even in the US what exactly was gained by the colossal loss of life and billions of US dollars? Many are now wondering why did the US invade a country that had no role in the 9/11 attacks? Why was the Afghanistan war dragged on for two decades at tremendous cost to American taxpayers considering that it had met its original objectives within a few weeks? Analysts will be grappling with these and many other questions in the coming years. But the million dollar question that still remains is, will US learn anything from this particular war ‘the longest war in US history’? Many Americans are left wondering as to how much of the lessons from the post 9/11 actions are for America itself. In the end, the reckless project to try to modernize a deeply traditional and tribal society proved to be a pointless endeavour. Not surprisingly President Biden continues to face considerable criticism at home and abroad, not so much for ending the war as for his handling of a final evacuation that unfolded in chaos and confusion and has raised doubts about US credibility. For the benefit of readers my article titled “Evaluating Lessons of the Afghan War” is being reproduced below:

“Although the Taliban had no hand in the barbarous 9/11 attacks (15 out of 19 attackers were Saudis),their connection was the presence of Osama bin Laden on Afghanistan soil. While all the hijackers were affiliated to Al Qaida, the Taliban neither had knowledge about the plan nor were they involved it. However there is no doubt he was the perpetrator of this atrocity and that they should have handed him over. Their miscalculation caused the citizens of Afghanistan to take the brunt of the US’ vengeance (its violence, murder and mayhem spilling over into Pakistan).The 9/11 Commission established in November 2002 issued their final report on July 22, 2004. Multiple criticisms were heard that many documents remained undisclosed. The one document recently released by US President Biden doesn’t add to anything that we already know.

The 9/11 condemnable act of savagery was totally directed against non-combatants, this pure unadulterated terrorist act cannot be condoned by any stretch of imagination.  My son almost became one of the victims, he was working in a law firm in Chase Manhattan Plaza across the road. Having heard the first explosion he walked around to the Conference Room facing the World Trade Center (WTC) and actually saw the second aircraft plough into the tower. Hunkering down for a couple of hours because of the falling debris, smoke and rubble he then made his way through the unfolding chaos to find my daughter several blocks away. By itself it was a miracle that they found each other. With sore feet (their shoes torn by walking on the rubble),both walked all the nearly 90 blocks home. Many NY residents on the way offered water, food and even temporary shelter. That this horrible act did not affect me personally is God’s will, should I not condemn it and grieve for all those thousands of innocents who died without knowing why? Certainly I will unequivocally condemn those who perpetrated this atrocity! The US was 100% right in seeking revenge, they were 100% wrong in not targeting Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaida specifically and putting all their effort in taking them out.

The Commission established severe intelligence failures by FBI and CIA. The report has been accused of not giving the whole story about the warnings the U.S. received prior to the attacks and many established facts not being declassified. The Commission opined that military means aside, public diplomacy should be used to bring Afghans around, envisioning an eventual government being able to build a national army, coordinate infrastructure and public services in major provinces throughout the country. The Doha talks and Accord thereof, initially without participation by the Ashraf Ghani regime, recognized this home truth.

The largest tribal population in the world have their own lifestyle and set of values, Afghanistan people cannot be made to give it up and adopt the western one. They will stand up against anybody who tries to pressurize or colonize them, be it the British in 1842, the Soviets in the 1980s or the combined power of US and NATO during the last 20 years in the 21^st century. These latest fruitless efforts of the ‘most civilized’ nations, against a supposedly uncivilized population, has destroyed generations of young Afghans. Born into turmoil, they have starved, missed health care and malnourishment, been maimed and/or have died from bullets and drone attacks. Having never seen peace during their lifetime, it will take decades to overcome the trauma of 20 years of war.

The 9/11 Commission report was criticized heavily soon after its release. In a 2004 article titled, “Whitewash as Public Service: How the 9/11 Commission Report defrauds the nation”, Harper’s Magazine writer Benjamin DeMott stated that: The plain sad reality I report this following four full days studying the work is that the 9/11 Commission Report, despite the vast quantity of labour behind it, is a cheat and a fraud. It stands as a series of evasive manoeuvres that infantilize the audience, transform candour into iniquity, and conceal realities that demand immediate inspection and confrontation” Unquote.

Another story conveniently forgotten is US oil company UNOCAL attempting to secure a gas-pipeline deal with the fundamentalist Taliban regime and forge a partnership with them. This despite the regime not being recognized by the international community. Senior Taliban members were flown to Texas by UNOCAL in 1997 in an attempt to come to an agreement. The point of contact for meeting the Taliban leaders in Houston was Zalmay Khalilzad, a Consultant for UNOCAL. Having served as a State Department official when Ronald Reagan was President, he publicly voiced support for the radical Islamists. Negotiations over the pipeline collapsed in 1998, when Al-Qaeda bombed two U.S. embassies in Africa. However in 1998, TAPI became the new US attempt to get access to Central Asian oil and gas. The contract for TAP (without India then) was signed in 2002 soon after the US had installed a client government in Kabul.

This should be a moment of reflection for us as well. General Musharraf’s spur of the moment decision to join the US in the Afghan war had severe consequences for Pakistan. One must not blame Musharraf only. Whatever criticism one may level at Musharraf, before taking any major decision he would consult those generals who were his closest aides. When he went wrong it was invariably because of bad or motivated advice or worse, usually being told by some of his slavish aides sucking upto him for their perks and promotions what he wanted to hear (Anything new or strange here?) Did anyone of them remonstrate and advise against it? This requires courage of conviction! Some of these outright hypocrites now come on primetime TV and without any shame blandly pontificate about Afghanistan. Their present status of wealth was bought by the blood of our Shaheeds, both military and civilian.

US President Trump alleged in 2018 that ‘Pakistan had not done a damned thing’ for the US, PM Imran Khan summarized Pakistani contributions for him and the world. Pakistan suffered over 100000 casualties in this war & over $150bn was lost to economy. US “aid” was a miniscule $20 bn,” most of it being “Coalition Support” funds for which every penny spent was accounted for. With Pakistan’s tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan devastated, Imran Khan added that millions of people had been uprooted from their homes, “Pakistan continues to provide free lines of ground and air communications (GLOCs/ALOCs), can Mr. Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?”

This is only the tip of the iceberg. Hosting millions of Afghan refugees over decades, the spill-over of violence of a Kalashnikov and drug culture permeated into Pakistan society. Talibanization has resulted in a strengthening of a strict, close to Wahabi form of Islamic practice that today has been radicalized and does have connections to terrorism. Coping with the residual legacy of the Afghan war will take decades and demand considerable economic and intellectual effort. It also requires our security establishment to wake up to ground realities photo-ops and a 9-to-5 syndrome will not do. Above all it will require political will!

“The opinions/views expressed in Defence Journal are entirely those of the writers and cannot be construed to reflect the official views of Defence Journal”.