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Stronger Relations Between Russia, US Bring Hope for Peace in Afghanistan

© AFP 2023 / Manjunath KiranA general view of Kabul city beneath Koh-e Asmai, popularly called the TV Mountain
A general view of Kabul city beneath Koh-e Asmai, popularly called the TV Mountain - Sputnik International
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A recent report issued by a US agency estimates that the Afghan government controls less than 60 percent of the country. Afghan officials put the blame on the US and NATO which have failed to stabilize the country, while political and economic analysts recall the aid provided by the USSR and hope that now Russia can also help out.

US soldiers part of NATO patrol during the final day of a month long anti-Taliban operation by the Afghan National Army (ANA) in various parts of eastern Nangarhar province, at an Afghan National Army base in Khogyani district on August 30, 2015 - Sputnik International
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As of November, the Afghan government could only claim to control or influence 57 percent of Afghanistan's 407 districts, according to US military estimates released by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), a US watchdog which monitors the funds allocated for reconstruction of Afghanistan, in its quarterly report to the US Congress.

That represents a 15 percent decrease in territory held compared with the same time in 2015, the agency said.

Commenting on the released data, the former governor of the country's Herat province Mohammad Yunus Fakur blamed the US and NATO who have failed to stabilize the country throughout the long-term presence on the ground.

"There is an ongoing fight against terrorists in Afghanistan headed by NATO and the US. The Afghan government is operating solely under their control," he told Sputnik.

"The war in our country has been raging for a long time, and still there is no peace as such in almost any province," he added.

An Afghan boy walks through a poppy field in Khogyani district of Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan - Sputnik International
Washington, Kabul Losing War on Drugs in Afghanistan - US State Department
The former governor further elaborated that at the same time neither drug production nor its illegal trafficking have decreased, and some provinces have witnessed a sharp increase in the production of opiates.

"The Afghan people are convinced that it is the fault of the US and NATO who were either unable to prevent this or have not made it their aim," Mohammad Yunus Fakur said.

However he further noted that it is impossible to throw them out of Afghanistan as the country's government has signed a Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement, under which both US and NATO military contingents have the right to be stationed on Afghan territory.

© Sputnik / V. Suhodolskiy / Go to the mediabankVasi Kargar Jangalak, member of the Central Committee of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, polisher of cranked shafts at the Auto-Mechanical Plant built with assistance from the Soviet Union, among young workers. Kabul, Afghanistan
Vasi Kargar Jangalak, member of the Central Committee of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, polisher of cranked shafts at the Auto-Mechanical Plant built with assistance from the Soviet Union, among young workers. Kabul, Afghanistan - Sputnik International
Vasi Kargar Jangalak, member of the Central Committee of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, polisher of cranked shafts at the Auto-Mechanical Plant built with assistance from the Soviet Union, among young workers. Kabul, Afghanistan

In a separate comment on the issue, an economist from the capital Kabul Jamsheed Shahabi recalls that it was the USSR which developed the country's major industries.

For example, he says, it constructed, among others, a 71-meter-long canal in the Eastern province of Nangarhar with the only dam in the province, the Duranta Dam constructed by the Soviet companies. Puli Khumri — II hydro-power plant, the Naghlu Dam and Naghlu hydro-power plant on the Kabul river, TPP (thermal power plant) with nitrogen fertilizer plant and much-much more.

© Wikipedia / 10th Aviation BrigadeNaghlu Dam, located in Surobi District of Kabul Province in eastern Afghanistan
Naghlu Dam, located in Surobi District of Kabul Province in eastern Afghanistan - Sputnik International
Naghlu Dam, located in Surobi District of Kabul Province in eastern Afghanistan

"When the political influence of Russia's predecessor, the USSR was especially strong, our economy was flourishing. The Soviet experts contributed much to the electrification of our country by constructing large-scale projects. These projects now can become a foundation for the implementation of Russia's advanced technologies into the Afghan economy," he suggested.

Kabul-based political analyst Mahfooz Alhaq meanwhile suggested that future security of Afghanistan will depend on the relationship between Russia and the US.

© Sputnik / Penson / Go to the mediabankPuli-Khumri-Shibergan highway built with Soviet technical aid
Puli-Khumri-Shibergan highway built with Soviet technical aid - Sputnik International
Puli-Khumri-Shibergan highway built with Soviet technical aid

"The stronger the relations between the US and Russia, the more secure will be Afghanistan," he told Sputnik.

"It is very important that Moscow and Washington are acting hand in hand, granting support in training and re-arming the Afghan police and National Security forces," he said.

The political analyst further noted that both Afghan police and the country's army have sufficient potential to fight terrorism, however it needs to be developed.

© Wikipedia / U.S Embassy Kabul AfghanistanNorthern Fertilizer and Power Plant outside of Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh Province, Afghanistan
Northern Fertilizer and Power Plant outside of Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh Province, Afghanistan - Sputnik International
Northern Fertilizer and Power Plant outside of Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh Province, Afghanistan

He also added that his home country did not forget the aid that Russia recently provided to the armed forces by sending 10,000 Kalashnikov machine guns. He believes that the US should value its relationship with Russia through opening a dialogue and lifting the sanctions on Moscow.

Meanwhile Ahmadullah Moahed, deputy of the Wolesi Jirga, the lower chamber of the country's parliament, the National Assembly, from the Nuristan province noted sincere tone in the phone conversation between Presidents Trump and Putin, which gave hope to the Afghan people.

"The dialogue between Trump and Putin has been perceived as good news which will bring peace to the world," he told Sputnik.

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