Political and military analyst Gen. (Rtd) Atiqullah Amarkhil receives an interview with Xinhua in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2017. Atiqullah Amarkhil said the new strategy which stresses for fighting terrorists including Islamic State and al-Qaida in Afghanistan, in fact boosts the morale of Afghans particularly the security forces that the United States of America will continue to support in the war on terror. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah)
by Abdul Haleem
KABUL, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump finally revealed his much-awaited strategy on Afghanistan on Monday evening for the solution of Afghan crisis and winning the 16-year lengthy war inherited from his predecessors Gorge W. Bush and Barrack Obama.
The United States, supported by Britain, began its attack on Afghanistan in October 2001, launching bombs and cruise missiles against Taliban military and communications facilities and suspected terrorists training camps.
The U.S. attack dethroned the Taliban regime which was alleged to shelter Osama Bin Laden, the then leader of al-Qaida network, within weeks.
Both the Taliban hardliner regime and al-Qaeda hierarchy were dismantled 16 years ago, but the al-Qaeda-backed Taliban insurgency has been continuing elsewhere in the conflict-ridden country which claims lives almost every day.
In addition to the Taliban outfit and al-Qaida network, several more terrorist groups including the Islamic State (IS) have emerged in Afghanistan since the collapse of the Taliban regime to challenge the Afghan government which is dependent on foreign aid.
In his speech, President Trump said "Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win" in Afghanistan.
Refusing to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, president Trump, according to local media reports categorically, said that "a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum for terrorists, including IS and al-Qaida" in Afghanistan, promising his administration's support to the Afghan government and its people.
Trump, however, noted that there would be no "blank check" for the American engagement in Afghanistan.
While welcoming the new strategy, Afghan observers, however, believe that the new approach announced by President Trump won't lead to bringing about viable solution to the Afghan crisis in the near future.
"The new strategy which stresses for fighting terrorists including Islamic State and al-Qaida in Afghanistan, in fact boosts the morale of Afghans particularly the morale of security forces that the United States of America will continue to support them in the war on terror," political and military analyst Gen. (Rtd) Atiqullah Amarkhil told Xinhua.
"However, the war in Afghanistan is a lingering war and won't finish in the near future. This endemic war won't end unless and until the sanctuaries of Taliban and other terrorist groups are targeted and shut down outside Afghanistan," the well-respected analyst noted.
In his speech, the U.S. president didn't hint at sending more troops to Afghanistan.
Currently, more than 13,000-strong NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) forces in Afghanistan, with some 8,400 of them Americans, are supporting Afghan forces to win the war on Taliban and like-minded groups.
Amarkhil said that sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan could have backlash from neighboring states, besides facilitating Taliban and like-minded groups to label United States and allied forces as "occupying troops."
"The war in Afghanistan is an imposed war and no end at sign in the near future," another analyst Yusuf Amin told local media.
The Taliban outfit, in a sharp reaction, described President Trump's strategy on Afghanistan as an "old policy of Washington" and vowed to continue jihad or holy war until the "withdrawal of the U.S.-led coalition forces from Afghanistan."
