Afghans Will Continue To Suffer After US Forces Withdrawal

The Mandegar editor-in-chief Nazari Pariani holds that people would continue to suffer after the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan even 20 years after the presence of the U.S.-led troops in the country.

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The United States and its allied nations invaded the Taliban regime in Afghanistan on the excuse of the country providing shelter to former al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, the alleged architect of the 9/11 attacks, and dethroned the Taliban reign but diminished neither the group nor al-Qaida.

Pariani described the U.S. forces withdrawal at this stage as irresponsible when the militants are still active and fighting continues, saying "the first phase of war ends with the troops' pull out and the next phase of the war would be more catastrophic" and the Afghans won't embrace peace soon.

This political expert doubts U.S. President Joe Biden's remarks that Washington has achieved its goal which was punishing bin Laden and smashing the al-Qaida network, which, he said, didn't need costly war and launching the military invasion in a poor country like Afghanistan.

"Killing Osama and destroying terror groups were small objectives which never required launching such a costly and longest war in the U.S. history," Pariani said, suggesting the U.S. objectives should have been larger than declared by Washington.

"Fighting has been continuing and al-Qaida and like-minded groups are active in Afghanistan and the brutal war claims Afghans' lives every day," he added.

On Saturday, a car bomb attacked on a girl school in Police District 13 of Kabul city, which claimed more than 50 lives and injured over 100 others, all of whom were civilians. Hinting at the deadly attack, Pariani said the merciless killing of civilians and Taliban attacks on government forces in several provinces demonstrate the outcome of the troops pull-out from Afghanistan.

"The security forces would continue to defend the government against Taliban attacks and the armed group would continue to resist. The victims are ordinary people, and the scenario would be continuing after U.S. forces withdrawal."

About intra-Afghan talks, the political observer said the prospect seems uncertain and the talks for peace in Afghanistan at the upcoming conference in Turkey would face deadlock as it previously faced in Doha.

"No desired outcome is foreseen in the ongoing peace process and Afghans won't reach a peace agreement over the next six months," Pariani predicted.

Washington formally started its forces pull-out from May 1 in Afghanistan and the process, according to the U.S. administration, would be completed by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and Pentagon in Washington.