Afghanistan Pullout, Smart Move Or Huge Mistake ?

By: Masood Ashraf

After a two-decade war, US troops have begun to withdraw from a nation in which they first trained their forces to fight their war against Soviets and named them Mujahadeen in the 80’s. In 1989 the US packed up and left without rebuilding and having some sort of solid government in place. Thus, with the government in turmoil and the country in chaos those trained Mujahideen betrayed by the US started to preach their hate for the United States and its allies. Neighboring country Pakistan which played a critical role in accommodating the wishes of the United States in training these Mujahideen and providing all logistics support throughout the war became an enemy of the Mujahideen also because they were helping the US. Sectarian violence from these groups of Mujahideen which were working out of Pakistan and the refugee crisis became a huge problem for Pakistan with no or little help from the US. Then 9-11 happens and all of sudden focus is shifted back to Afghanistan. Those same freedom fighters were now named terrorists by the US government. On the other hand, Pakistan is caught in crossfire and now dealing with a double-edged sword. If they sympathize with the Mujahadeen, they are accused of helping terrorists, and if they side with the US, they are the enemies of the Mujahideen who have integrated into Pakistan’s society over many years of war and now are an integral part of Pakistan.  With the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan these past few months, an opportunity was provided to the Taliban to regain support and power throughout the nation. After 20 years, the once US-backed country has rapidly started to fall into ruins, with millions of civilians attempting to leave the country and into safer areas. It is important to understand, that as important as some may believe it is important to pull US troops out of Afghanistan, it is just as important to understand that with no stability left behind, it was almost inevitable what happened next. The decision to pull US troops out of Afghanistan was widely disputed as President Biden claimed to stand “squarely behind” his decision. In actuality, the almost immediate collapse of the Afghani government after the decision was almost too unexpected and unanticipated, A country that was heavily influenced by US aid, support and leadership was almost overnight turned upside down into one of the most unstable areas the world has ever seen after they were cut off from everything that kept them together. Soon after, many US intelligence services responded by saying that the total overturn of Afghanistan was incredibly unanticipated and not to the extent to which they had expected. It is worth noting that in the teachings of Islam, no action of sudden impulse or withdrawal is encouraged, for fear of the inevitable instability that will follow after. Sixteen-hundred years ago in the era of Islam’s most beloved Prophet Muhammad (sa), Islam introduced a new teaching that encouraged the freedom and independence of every individual from bondage. It not only valued every person’s right to be free, but also their right to stand on their own two feet and be their own person. However, emancipation did not necessarily mean a good life for those who left bondage. After many years of living a certain lifestyle, integrating into society was more difficult than ever because of lack of guidance and training. Therefore, there was an additional teaching practiced by the Holy Prophet (sa) that ensured the success and freedom of all those who had been emancipated. That is that before freeing an individual, guidance and instruction was given so that after being freed, individuals were capable and competent enough to integrate society and make a means for themselves in the best possible way and not be nuisance to society in any way instead be productive member of society.  Similar thought process was behind US affirmative action implementation in 1960s but not followed through to its full extent. In the same way, should the Afghani government have received aid and support before being weaned off US support. Abruptly cutting off and spontaneously withdrawing from anything can only result in confusion, disarray and chaos. However, with time, slow withdrawal, and guidance, and close monitoring could the US have chosen to use in the process of separating from Afghanistan and truly granting them their independence. In the same way a parent raises a child over years to become an adult, should countries who offer support to developing nations realize that a hand might be needed to provide stability and peace before leaving.