Afghans wary of new US approach
Taliban defiant, vows to fight on
AFGHAN officials welcomed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a new American strategy towards their country yesterday, citing his assurance of broad US military, economic and political support despite a lack of specific pledges, and praising his tough stance on Pakistan, which he denounced for offering safe haven to “terrorists”.
However, reaction among Afghan analysts was more mixed.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani described himself as “grateful” to Trump and the American people “for this affirmation of support for our efforts to achieve self-reliance”.
The Afghan ambassador in Washington described the speech as “the first time a focus has been put on what Afghanistan must have to succeed”, and a sign of strong commitment to “our shared goals”.
But many Afghan commentators were more guarded in their reactions. Some said they appreciated the US for not abandoning the war effort, as Trump had suggested before his election, but others said no new US military strategy could help bring peace and stability unless the Afghan government, weakened by internal divisions and external attacks, could function better and bring meaningful reforms – the kind of state-building specifically ruled out by Trump.
In addition, a number of Afghan observers noted with concern that Trump had not clearly stated his policy toward the Afghan Taliban, instead emphasising the importance of preventing global terrorism from spreading.
Trump said the US would not allow the insurgents to “occupy Afghanistan”, but he mentioned a political settlement with them only as a vague “possibility” some day in the future.
The Taliban issued a defiant statement, saying: “It looks like America does not want to put an end to its longest war, and instead of realising the realities, it still is arrogant on its might and force.”
Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said: “As long as one American soldier remains on our soil, we will continue our jihad against them.
“If the US does not withdraw,” Mujahid added, “Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower.”
In Pakistan, commentators said Trump’s implied threat to cut aid unless the country stops “housing terrorists” was a stark departure from more tolerant US policies of the past.
They said Pakistan, which depends heavily on foreign aid, has little means to push back. Some warned of US cross-border attacks and deep drone strikes.
Mosharraf Zaidi, a Pakistani newspaper columnist, sent out a series of sharply worded tweets yesterday morning, saying that Trump had “caved in to the US establishment” and decided to blame Pakistan for former president Barack Obama’s failures in Afghanistan.
Afghans expressed little concern that Trump did not specify how many troops the US would send to Afghanistan. Some noted that it was widely expected that 3 000 to 4 000 troops will be sent, and that US military officials had stressed their role would be to train and strengthen Afghan forces, not replace them.
Instead, Afghans said several other aspects of Trump’s strategy mattered far more.
There was concern over Trump’s statement that the US would no longer support “nation-building” in Afghanistan, and that it would focus instead on fighting terrorism and protecting American interests. The US has propped up the Afghan government for 16 years, but it is riven by internal dissent and the economy is ailing badly.
Many Afghans see corruption and poor governance as major causes of the country’s problems. Afghan officials are hoping their anti-corruption drive and efforts at public sector reform will be seen as fulfilling the “conditions” that Trump laid down yesterday for ongoing US support.