A Common Scene in US Servicemen's Graveyard
US fatalities in Afghanistan by the hands of the Taliban militia stand at at well over 2000 deaths. Two thousand coffins sent back home wrapped in the American flag. Expecting the still standing, sole super power of the world to forgive and forget the loss of it's men and woman (The American casualties caused by the rag tag militia) in the longest battle they ever fought in their history is too much of an ask by any standards. The conception and formation of the Taliban is a product of the United States itself in collaboration with Pakistan during the cold war that eventually became their Frankenstein monster after they cut them loose once they had defeated the might of the Soviet Empire. This Frankenstein, came back to haunt it's makers after three decades of being abandoned in the wild. Although most of the domestic populace in the United States now is of the opinion that Afghanistan is a useless war bringing more misery to America than benefit, but very few are aware of the real reason that the US went into Afghanistan and will stay there for foreseeable future. Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden aside, US has mega strategic interests in maintaining her military presence in Afghanistan, which happens to be the very backyard of China and Russia. Afghanistan also happens to be the gateway to energy rich Central Asia. Supporting the Afghan cause is ensured by the CIA which also generates its unaccounted black funds from the world's largest illegal drug market producing more than 90% of the global opium produce. The CIA may continue to deny the facts about their drug cartel links terming them as their sources. However the drug money trail does reach the CIA agents on ground in Afghanistan and certain rogue American elements who are working as US Contractors in Afghanistan hired by the CIA. Some basic research through any online search engine will provide endless volumes of references about the age old CIA drug trade links around the globe. How can anyone expect the CIA not to claim their share in what is currently the biggest drug market of the globe; Afghanistan. This illegal drug trade of billions of dollars simply won't be feasible for both the CIA and the Taliban if Afghanistan finds lasting peace. The lucrative mega drug empire in Afghanistan thrives on chaos. In reality, the on ground turf wars in Afghanistan between the US forces led by intelligence spooks, Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Taliban, are fought over the control of poppy producing areas and the product itself. The Jihad and its philosophy essentially gains legitimacy for the Taliban and other Islamist radical groups while recruiting disillusioned youth subsequently in a thriving mercenaries business funded by the Afghan drug trade. In the end its all about money, whether you want to believe it or not.
The American Flag wrapped coffins continue to arrive from Afghanistan
Returning to the million dollar question of: "Is the US really interested in sustainable peace between their funded Afghan government in Kabul and the Taliban?" For this an assessment of durable peace v war in Afghanistan is necessary to analyse. How would peace affect the USA? The US backed Kabul government will be sharing power with the Taliban. It would also imply that the US will have to leave Afghanistan vacating the military bases it built after trillions of dollars in overall war expenditures. It would also require the CIA to close its declared and hidden bases and stop ground clandestine operations which are also a lucrative source of non audit-able black money. Above all peace in Afghanistan requires the USA to give a rain check to the Taliban and remaining extremist militant groups. This would look like complete amnesty is being granted to these organisations especially to the serviceman's family and fiends, who know their loved ones died at the hands of these "enemies"
The rag tag militia that was originally created by the USA itself is defeating them in the ground war being fought in Afghanistan. The primitive army as pictured above is winning and is a cause for global embarrassment for the "US empire"
Is the price worth it for the USA just for the sake of peace in Afghanistan? The cost would be loosing physical influence over the entire region, forgiving an enemy which brought so much pain and misery to the USA and allied troops and subsequently loosing prestige due to an army of "bandits" as they give the perception of being to the rest of the world. The same bandit's bringing down the entire might of the US Empire as they did to the Soviet's in the past would make the USA look weak and incompetent in the eyes of the entire world.
The cost is too high for the US to pay for achieving peace with the Taliban or between Taliban and their sponsored government in Kabul. Under the circumstances we may assume that the US will remain a presence in Afghanistan and the region for the foreseeable future. The US made this amply clear with the killing of the Taliban Chief, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in a drone strike in Pakistan (For details please read: https://whatholdsthefuture.blogspot.com/2016/05/killing-of-mullah-mansoor-impact-on.html). This killing most recently proved what the "real" US interest in the Afghan peace process is. The Afghan peace process being sponsored by China, Pakistan, the Afghan government and the US themselves stands defeated. What remains to be seen is how the Chinese and their friends would respond to this behaviour by the USA and is all together a different ball game. Keep watching..
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