It has been two years since American forces withdrew from Afghanistan, allowing the Taliban to regain power. However, criticism of President Joe Biden’s administration continues due to perceived weakness and incompetence. A member of the US Congress recently stated that the Taliban in Afghanistan is supporting the Al-Qaeda network in fulfilling “Bin Laden’s dream.” This member urged the future return of American soldiers to Afghanistan to combat terrorism. The hasty withdrawal of the Biden government from Afghanistan has led to the resurgence and strengthening of Al-Qaeda, which the United States initially went to Afghanistan to destroy in 2001. However, what is often overlooked or not addressed is the ineffectiveness of the US government’s anti-terrorism strategy.
Both Republican and Democratic administrations, despite their differing approaches, have adopted an ineffective strategy in the fight against terrorism. Therefore, the blame cannot solely be placed on the Biden administration. What further increases the responsibility of the current American government is that it halted the process initiated during the administration of Barack Obama. While the Biden government displayed incompetence in implementing the U.S. withdrawal strategy from Afghanistan, it is important to note that the previous government, under Donald Trump, signed the Doha agreement with the Taliban, which ultimately resulted in the downfall of the previous Afghan government.
Therefore, rather than placing blame solely on the Biden or Trump administration, we should direct our attention to the primary reason for America’s failure in Afghanistan. This reason is the questionable, contradictory, militaristic, and profit-driven strategy that aims to contain terrorism rather than eliminate it. It seems that this strategy presents its ultimate objective as eradicating terrorism, but in reality, it perpetuates it through media. In practice, we not only fail to see any indication of terrorism being destroyed, but we also witness a dangerous compromise between terrorism and its adversaries, who inadvertently strengthen each other.
The “war on terror” has had the unintended effect of strengthening terrorism and increasing its reach. Prior to the United States’ invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, there were only a few known terrorist groups, such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, operating in those regions. However, after the U.S. military intervention, the market for Islamic extremism flourished, with numerous terrorist groups emerging and operating in Afghanistan and the Middle East. These groups were driven by their respective goals of promoting “Jihad” in their countries.
Afghanistan and other crisis-stricken countries are fighting against brutal anti-civilization groups that have no regard for human civilization. The United States is involved in Afghanistan, but it is not actively fighting the Taliban. Instead, it has engaged with the Taliban, believing that they can be used against Al-Qaeda, despite the fact that Al-Qaeda and the Taliban share deep ideological ties. It seems unlikely that the Taliban will effectively eliminate Al-Qaeda.
The United States has abandoned its goal of eradicating terrorism and engaging in nation-building in Afghanistan due to the harsh reality of Taliban terrorism. As a result, radical Islamic groups, which have emerged as a result of the United States’ flawed strategy in combating terrorism, believe they are closer to establishing a global “Islamic caliphate.” Consequently, they are actively targeting the United States and other countries. With the Taliban providing unwavering support to the al-Qaeda network, it is likely that they have begun planning attacks on international targets.
ISIS-K, in addition to al-Qaeda, poses a significant threat that has gained more freedom to act due to the chaotic withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. It is recruiting and strengthening itself more than before. The countries in the region, including Russia and Iran, view America’s fight against ISIS-K with suspicion. These countries have openly accused the U.S. government of supporting ISIS-K in Afghanistan. Moscow and Tehran believe that the United States utilizes ISIS-K and al-Qaeda to achieve its geopolitical objectives. If this accusation is true, exploiting terrorism may provide short-term benefits for the United States. However, since terrorist groups are unreliable, promoting terrorism in the long run will not be advantageous for any country.
One important reason for the ineffectiveness of counter-terrorism strategies is the failure to recognize the stable and deeply rooted social factors that contribute to and sustain terrorism. It is not possible to eliminate Islamic extremism solely through the use of force. In fact, the use of military force often has the opposite effect, making extremist groups more determined and resilient. The experiences of Afghanistan and Pakistan provide evidence to support this assertion.
The strategy of fighting against terrorism has failed due to another factor, which is the governments using terrorism as a geopolitical tool. The Pakistani army is skilled in this tactic. However, using terrorism as a tool also has negative consequences, which the Pakistani soldiers are currently experiencing more than others. The Pakistani army once cultivated terrorism to defeat its enemies, but now it has become a problem for them.
The U.S. government has consistently faced accusations from its global rivals of supporting ISIS-K and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and the Middle East. However, Washington has consistently denied these allegations. Nevertheless, the rapid rise of radical Islamic groups following the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan indicates that the “war on terrorism” campaign led by the United States and its allies has had the opposite effect. Alongside the Al-Qaeda network, the world is now confronted with new terrorist groups that surpass Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in terms of brutality, criminal activities, and casualties.
Terrorism is the only force that has had an effective and efficient strategy to fight against people and governments, if there is an opportunity for a brief summary. The enemies of terrorism lack an effective strategy to eradicate this devastating phenomenon. A new and efficient strategy needs to be developed to combat terrorism. It is important to not solely rely on military tactics and instead address terrorism as a long-lasting and deeply ingrained issue, rather than something that can be eliminated through a temporary military operation. This strategy should also aim to prevent the exploitation of terrorism and not distinguish between different forms of terrorism.
Read this article in Farsi here.
