KABUL – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stated that the army could notoperate for even six months without US support. The Afghan leader alsonoted that there were over twenty terrorist organizations operating in hiscountry. Radio Sputnik discussed Ghani’s statement with Aimal Faizi,journalist and columnist, who served as the spokesperson of Hamid Karzai.
Aimal Faizi: President Ashraf Ghani has been trying to organize the US warin Afghanistan. He has been promoting the US war in Afghanistan. This isthe war which is not ours.
His recent statement, stating that the Afghan army will not be ableto operate even for six months without the US support for me is an Afghanmode of the US narrative of fear and hope which is telling to the Afghanpeople that look, there are more than twenty terrorist groups and, as youmentioned that earlier in your report there is more terrorismin Afghanistan.
However, there is hope and the hope is that the US is there and that the USis supporting the Afghan government and the Afghan armed forces. So,basically, this statement is more of a president which is tryingto legitimize the US war in Afghanistan and the US equation in Afghanistan.
Sputnik: The US presence has been in Afghanistan for so many years now. Hasthere really been a change in the effect that presence has had over theyears? What do you think is actually going on?
Aimal Faizi: Well, what’s going on in Afghanistan is actually showing thecontradiction in the US war against terror.
We have seen the intensification of the war in Afghanistan since theestablishment of the new Afghan government in 2014 and there is a risingnumber of civilian casualties. There is more war in Afghanistan and the waris brought into the Afghan homes and villages. There is no less terrorismthan before.
There is widespread insecurity in the country, not only in the countrysidebut even in big cities and the capital, Kabul, so the US war in Afghanistanhas not brought any security to the country. It’s the opposite. It hasincreased the insecurity in Afghanistan and there is widespread insecurityin Afghanistan. The victims of this war are only the Afghan people.
Sputnik: And so what is necessary? Is it necessary that the US withdraw orchange their strategy? If they should change their strategy, what shouldthey be focusing on?
Aimal Faizi: What the Afghan people want is that the United States’international community should put their hands together and work together.The United States should work in cooperation with written powerslike Russia, like China, like Iran and India in order to bring peace andstability to Afghanistan. Without rational cooperation there will be nomilitary solution to the problem in Afghanistan.
Sputnik: If we are not talking about the military solution, what kindsof solutions are needed? Do we need financial solutions? Do we needto increase the level of education and increase infrastructure and thelevel of living for the people in order to give them an option to terrorism?
Aimal Faizi: Well, there should be clear definition for the enemy andfor the war in Afghanistan first of all. If we believe that the warin Afghanistan is the war imposed upon the Afghan people, it’s a war whichhas its supporting system operating out of Afghanistan. Then there shouldbe unity of action between the United States and the regional powers.
The United States should work with regional countries to press Pakistan,to stop using terrorism as a tool of foreign policy. Secondly, there is avery big mistrust in the region, the military presence has not resulted adecrease of terrorism and violence in Afghanistan. Therefore, this mistrusthas to be ended.
Sputnik: You talk about defining the enemy, now in the eyes of the Afghanipeople who have suffered so much from this war already, who precisely isthe enemy?
Aimal Faizi: In Afghanistan we strongly believe that this is the war whichis the war for foreign interest in our country. Our country is being usedby foreign powers.
Sputnik: Can you name names?
Aimal Faizi: We can see that the strong player present in Afghanistan isthe United States. It’s the war which is being supported by Pakistan,by terrorist groups which are openly operating in Pakistan and theterrorists are being sent by there.
In the last sixteen years the US has been unable to press Pakistanin ending its policy of supporting terrorism in Afghanistan.
Sputnik: Recently President Trump has said he is going to be stoppingfunding to Pakistan; do you think it will have any effect on Pakistan’sposition on Afghanistan?
Aimal Faizi: Absolutely not. I don’t believe that the Pakistani governmentwill stop it, its support for terrorist groups not only in Afghanistanbut the region.
The reason is that the United States needs Pakistan because of its warin Afghanistan and for its strategic objectives in the region. Pakistan hasbeen a partner for so many years and this partnership is still there. WhatPresident Trump has said recently is more of a bluff not really a policy.
I don’t see any strategic change in Washington vis-à-vis Pakistan and itssupport for terrorism in Afghanistan and in the region.