The Taliban slowly but surely is gaining ground in Afghanistan. The last few days have seen the Taliban mount a number of attacks, notably in the capital city of Kabul where over a hundred were killed. Donald trump has reacted in a forthright manner. He has made it clear that he will destroy the Taliban and at the same time announced that talks with an organization that murders its own people, including defenseless civilians and children, will not take place. Bloomberg channel has brought out this straightforward comment by the US President after the latest murderous assault in the heart of the city of Kabul, leading to over a 100 deaths.
Pak complicity
Trump has shown his resolve in combating the Taliban. The Afghan government has accused the dreaded Haqqani faction of these attacks. The evidence is now available that the gunmen ( suicide bombers) were trained by ISIS, the intelligence arm of the Pak army. CNN has brought out the fact that the Haqqani faction is active and part of a policy to seize power in Afghanistan.
Trump and Pakistan
Trump had earlier warned the Pak government and accused it of deceit and treachery. He had ordered the suspension of military Aid To Pakistan, but the hard fact is the US has already gifted 33 billion dollars of arms aid to Pakistan and got nothing in return. One cannot forget that they even gave a safe sanctuary to the notorious terrorist Osama bin Laden for years.
All the time they were professing an alliance with the USA. Despite mounting evidence of Pak complicity in the terror attacks in Afghanistan, previous US presidents had treated the Pak government with kid gloves.
Trump deserves credit for being the first president who dared to pinpoint the complicity of Pakistan in the turmoil in Afghanistan.
Trump in his latest comment also said that the USA will defeat the Taliban. This is easier said than done and there is no way the US can win the war in Afghanistan, till Pakistan sanctuaries and the deadly ISIS is not eliminated.
Towards victory
One is reminded of the war in Vietnam that continued for over a decade and ultimately led to a defeat of US arms.
Trump will remember that the insurgency in South Vietnam was sustained from North Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh. Failure to contain North Vietnam resulted in losing South Vietnam. Hence, till the Pak army is contained and ISIS dismantled there is no chance of a victory. The situation in Afghanistan is slightly different from Vietnam, where the two communist neighbors China and USSR backed North Vietnam. Pakistan has no similar backers and if Trump decides the USA can readily contain this Islamic state. This will require courage and willpower and we have yet to see that aspect of the president.
