- Sputnik International
Asia
Find top stories and features from Asia and the Pacific region. Keep updated on major political stories and analyses from Asia and the Pacific. All you want to know about China, Japan, North and South Korea, India and Pakistan, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

New US' Afghanistan Strategy 'Puts Trump in a Silly Position', Here's Why

© AP Photo / Abdul KhaliqIn this July 24, 2016 file photo, a US military personal stands guard during a graduation ceremony for Afghan troops, in Lashkargah, capital of southern Helmand province, Afghanistan.
In this July 24, 2016 file photo, a US military personal stands guard during a graduation ceremony for Afghan troops, in Lashkargah, capital of southern Helmand province, Afghanistan. - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Political analyst Mikhail Sinelnikov-Orishak discussed the new US’ Afghanistan strategy unveiled by President Donald Trump earlier this week.

Trump said on Tuesday that the consequences of rapid withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan are "unacceptable," as it will create a "vacuum" that will be filled by Daesh and al-Qaeda terrorist groups, adding that the number of US troops involved in operations in the country wouldn’t be released.

"The consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from Afghanistan because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS [Daesh] and al-Qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11th," Trump said during a press conference in Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, presenting a new integrated strategy for the US approach to South Asia. 

Russian expert Sinelnikov-Orishak said that it seems that Trump missed very important facts when developing the Afghanistan strategy.

"One of the US goals [in the past] was the fight against al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden. Who were al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, if not terrorists? Thus, the statement saying that ‘we don’t know what we were doing,’ and now finally decided to fight terrorists, to put it mildly, puts Trump in a silly position and shows that he has little understanding of the region. This was evident when he [Trump] ordered to launch the super powerful bomb [dubbed Mother of All Bombs (MOAB)] in Afghanistan. He does not understand how strange it looks. In the 17th year of the war in the country, the most advanced state of the planet uses this bomb," Sinelnikov-Orishak told Radio Sputnik.

Afghan security forces arrive during gun fire at the site of an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan July 31, 2017 - Sputnik International
Asia
Afghanistan Wants Russia, Not US to Help Restore Peace in Country - Ambassador
The analyst went further to comment on the way the US military fights in Afghanistan.

"The structure of the [US] forces that are involved is very interesting. One of the tricks is that in Afghanistan, representatives of private military companies are successfully operating; and their losses are not included in the losses of the Pentagon. Thus, all difficult operations are conducted by the private military companies. Thus, the US official losses seem to be small. Private companies know that they are used as cannon fodder, but they also want to live, so they open fire on everything that moves," the expert claimed.

U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Platoon, B battery 2-8 field artillery, fire a howitzer artillery piece at Seprwan Ghar forward fire base in Panjwai district, Kandahar province southern Afghanistan (File) - Sputnik International
Asia
Will the Taliban Be Able to Turn Afghanistan in 'Another US Graveyard'?
The ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States welcomed Trump’s decision to introduce changes in the US military strategy to combat terrorists.

According to Sinelnikov-Orishak, there is an explanation for the statement.

"If the Americans promise to contribute to something, rather than bomb their [Afghan] weddings, then we should already thank for at least the intention itself. Secondly, it is interesting what the Taliban [terrorists] will say. When they recently sent a message to the US president, they clearly said: As long as the troops are here, there will be no talks with you, and, apparently, the Americans do not plan to leave. Trump's statements give the impression that the Americans will stay there for his [the US president’s] full term," Mikhail Sinelnikov-Orishak concluded.

Trump's strategy in Afghanistan has been welcomed by many US allies, however, former Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai said earlier this week that he opposes the plan as it is "against the country's national interests." He said increased presence of private US contractors on the Afghan soil breached the national sovereignty and constitution and would lead to a drawn-out conflict and more bloodshed.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Andy Veres, left, Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul commander, re-enlists Master Sgt. James Sandifer, Forward Operating Base Smart mayor, on top of Alexander's castle in Qalat City, Afghanistan, July 7 - Sputnik International
US 'Doubles Down in Afghanistan to Drive Wedge Between India, China'
Afghanistan has long been experiencing significant political, social and security-related instability, as terrorist organizations, including Daesh and the Taliban terrorist groups continue to stage attacks against civilian and military targets.

The United States and its allies launched a military operation in Afghanistan in 2001 following the 9/11 terror attacks. The mission in Afghanistan ended on December 28, 2014. On January 1, 2015, NATO announced its new mission in the country, called Resolute Support, to train and assist Afghan security forces. Some 8,400 to 9,800 US troops are currently based in Afghanistan with an additional 5,000 NATO forces.

According to official Pentagon data up until August 21, 2017, the United States had lost 2,244 servicemen and civilian specialists killed in Afghanistan over the past years; over 20,000 were wounded.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала