10 June 2013.
The
U.S. plans to pull out the bulk of its forces from Afghanistan by the end of
2014. The U.S. withdrew 33,000 troops last year in view of this plan, but there
are still 68,000 American soldiers in Afghanistan. The details of the rest of
the withdrawal have not been announced yet. Other Nato countries taking part in
the occupation, such as Britain, France, Canada and Germany, have also
signalled the pull-out of their forces from Afghanistan before or by then.
The occupying
imperialist forces have devoted much publicity to this plan and are giving the
impression that they have completed their mission and are ending their
occupation. There has been a lot of debate about the necessity and the pace of
withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in the media and policy-making circles.
While some object to the plan and want the occupation to remain at more or less
the same level, others want it to be completed at a much speedier pace.
What does this
plan represent? First, if and when it is completed, would it really mean that
the imperialists are leaving Afghanistan and ending the war? Second, would it
mean that they have "completed their mission" and achieved the goals
they set for themselves, as they might claim?
There are no short
and clear answers to these questions, because there are many factors and
contradictions at work. In addition, the imperialists' lies and deception make
the situation even more difficult to analyse, and there is a need to
investigate the real contradictions involved.
The U.S. plan to
withdraw its forces
The number of
remaining American soldiers, 68,000, is equal to the highest level before the
so-called "surge" in 2009, and the U.S. might decide to keep all of
them in Afghanistan until the end of 2014, which is 18 months away.
Even if the U.S.-led
occupation ended today, it has already lasted much longer than the Soviet
occupation in the 1980s.
The Western
occupiers expected to achieve their goals in Afghanistan in a much shorter
period of time. However, the strategic agreement between the U.S. and the
government of Hamid Karzai foresees an open-ended occupation. According to that
treaty, the U.S. will keep its military bases in Afghanistan, along with
aircraft, Special Forces and "advisers" – with the announced
expectation that they will number about 10-15,000 – at least until the end of
the treaty in 2024, with the intention of renewing the treaty, with possible
modifications, at that time.
In fact the U.S.
military will not just be present, it will remain very active in fighting the
war as long as it continues. One aspect of their military operations is to
continue to train and dominate the Afghan army as a whole and retain control of
those special operations that the Afghan forces are incapable of conducting or
might not be trusted to carry out. American soldiers will be there to support,
lead and conduct the overall operations against any and all opposition, not
only the Taliban and Al-Qaeda but any other forces or even mass revolts.
The other main
task of the remaining U.S. forces – and one not discussed in the media – is
carrying out spy missions, posing threats and meddling in the affairs of
neighbouring countries like Iran, Pakistan and world powers such as China and
Russia. In this way the U.S. plans to counter and compete with other powers in
this strategically important region.
Considering that
the U.S. and its allies started their occupation of Afghanistan with 30,000 troops,
the plan to keep 10-15,000 soldiers there, mainly "advisers" and
Special Forces, and lead the army of more than 352,000 Afghan soldiers, is far
from ending an occupation and intervention in Afghanistan and the region.
What this plan
does represent is a change in U.S. occupation strategy according to its present
needs and situation.
The U.S. and
Karzai governments signed an overall strategic treaty last October, but the
Karzai government wants to make a show of independence from the U.S. and is
drawing out negotiations on some "security and military" articles. In
early May 2013 Karzai said that the "security
agreement means U.S. bases in Afghanistan", and added, "The U.S. is
asking for nine military bases in Afghanistan after 2014 – in Kabul, Bagram, Mazar
Sharif, Herat, Shindan, Jalalabad, Gardiz, Helmand – and to keep 20,000
soldiers in Afghanistan." Karzai went on to say that he has "in
principle no opposition to the U.S. bases in the country", but wants
"assurances that the U.S. will help strengthen the security forces,
government rule and the economic development of Afghanistan". (BBC Persian
service Website, 14 May 2013).
Why is Karzai
putting up conditions to meeting U.S. demands? These conditions could be either
a gesture to show that he is not a puppet, or a reaction to criticism of him by
the U.S. media and officials. But they could also reflect real contradictions
and complaints about what the U.S. is doing and not doing. In any case, the
U.S.'s goal in regard to this agreement is to
ensure its military dominance and political supervision over political and
economic affairs in Afghanistan, and its control over the region.
Continued.....
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