Mirwais Harooni and Michael Georgy
By Mirwais Harooni and Michael Georgy
The Afghan policeman manning a checkpoint glances at the snow-covered mountains that are home to Taliban fighters and predicts what would happen if elite US forces leave Wardak province, seen as the gateway to the capital of Kabul.
“The Taliban will take over in one day,” policeman Mohammad Jamil said. “They are nearby.”
Ever since President Hamid Karzai announced late last month that US forces would be barred from the strategic province because of alleged abuses against civilians, Afghan forces who will be left to provide security without them have grown more anxious by the day.
Wardak, just a 40-minute drive from Kabul, is a prime example of what could happen in other parts of Afghanistan as the US winds down an increasingly unpopular war, now in its 12th year.
US special forces are expected to play a major role after most Nato combat troops withdraw by the end of 2014, and Karzai’s decision could complicate negotiations between the US and Afghanistan over the scope of US operations after the pull-out.
“It’s special forces who go usually on the front lines and fight with Taliban,” said a second Afghan policeman, Mir Hussain. “If we make them leave this province than there won’t be anybody to fight them. It’s obvious that as soon as they leave our province the Taliban will return to power here.”
Strategically located astride the Western approach to Kabul, Wardak is ideally placed for the insurgents who control nearby mountain villages to use as a staging ground for suicide operations into the city, home to nearly 5 million people and dozens of diplomatic missions.
Militants carry out ambushes, shooting attacks and suicide bombings on American and Afghan forces there.
Fears that the departures of US special forces will embolden the insurgents are heightened by the arrival of spring, which traditionally marks the start of Afghanistan’s “fighting season” as the snow melts.
Earlier this week, two US soldiers, reported to be special forces, were killed in an attack in the province. Karzai ordered US special forces to leave after residents complained that they, and Afghans working with them, were torturing and killing civilians, an allegation strongly denied by the Americans.
Even after the deadline for US special forces to withdraw passed on Sunday, General Abdul Razaq, a senior police detective, said they were still in Wardak, a collection of mostly apple and apricot farms surrounded by mountains.
US forces have refused to comment on their deployment.
Razaq said local officials had urged the Interior Ministry to provide strong support if the American forces leave, including artillery and reinforcements.
Some residents speak with hatred about the elite US forces and believe allegations that they committed atrocities.
“Every day they kill our innocent people,” said Abdul Ghafoor, 54, without offering any evidence to back the accusations, as his companions nodded in agreement.
But others seem far more worried about the security vacuum the province may face. Many remember how Wardak was the launching pad for the Taliban when they took over Kabul and much of the country in 1996.
They don’t have to look far. Collapsed buildings, including one that served as a coordination centre for security forces, are a potent reminder of the devastation wreaked by Taliban suicide bombings.
“A small number of people from Wardak province had complained to President Karzai about special forces but now they also know that their decision wasn’t right,” said Hameeda Akbari, a member of parliament from Wardak.
“They want to find a way to solve the problem and keep special forces for some more time. If special forces leave Wardak, the security situation will get worse.”
Some fear the dangers could reach far beyond the provincial capital of Maidan Shahr, where Afghan policemen speed past a children’s playground called Peace Park in jeeps mounted with machine guns.
“As soon as these forces leave this province not only Wardak, but even some parts of Kabul, will be occupied by Taliban and Kabul security will be in danger,” said Haji Rokai, a tribal elder. “So I hope that the government takes a better decision and keep these forces here for longer period.”
Afghan Army Chief of Staff Sher Mohammad Karimi recently said most of the suicide attacks in Kabul were planned just 25km (15 miles) away in Wardak.
“It is one of our biggest concerns,” he said.
Afghan security forces, already at a disadvantage because they lack training and equipment, could become less effective if the Americans leave.
Reuters
By Mirwais Harooni and Michael Georgy
The Afghan policeman manning a checkpoint glances at the snow-covered mountains that are home to Taliban fighters and predicts what would happen if elite US forces leave Wardak province, seen as the gateway to the capital of Kabul.
“The Taliban will take over in one day,” policeman Mohammad Jamil said. “They are nearby.”
Ever since President Hamid Karzai announced late last month that US forces would be barred from the strategic province because of alleged abuses against civilians, Afghan forces who will be left to provide security without them have grown more anxious by the day.
Wardak, just a 40-minute drive from Kabul, is a prime example of what could happen in other parts of Afghanistan as the US winds down an increasingly unpopular war, now in its 12th year.
US special forces are expected to play a major role after most Nato combat troops withdraw by the end of 2014, and Karzai’s decision could complicate negotiations between the US and Afghanistan over the scope of US operations after the pull-out.
“It’s special forces who go usually on the front lines and fight with Taliban,” said a second Afghan policeman, Mir Hussain. “If we make them leave this province than there won’t be anybody to fight them. It’s obvious that as soon as they leave our province the Taliban will return to power here.”
Strategically located astride the Western approach to Kabul, Wardak is ideally placed for the insurgents who control nearby mountain villages to use as a staging ground for suicide operations into the city, home to nearly 5 million people and dozens of diplomatic missions.
Militants carry out ambushes, shooting attacks and suicide bombings on American and Afghan forces there.
Fears that the departures of US special forces will embolden the insurgents are heightened by the arrival of spring, which traditionally marks the start of Afghanistan’s “fighting season” as the snow melts.
Earlier this week, two US soldiers, reported to be special forces, were killed in an attack in the province. Karzai ordered US special forces to leave after residents complained that they, and Afghans working with them, were torturing and killing civilians, an allegation strongly denied by the Americans.
Even after the deadline for US special forces to withdraw passed on Sunday, General Abdul Razaq, a senior police detective, said they were still in Wardak, a collection of mostly apple and apricot farms surrounded by mountains.
US forces have refused to comment on their deployment.
Razaq said local officials had urged the Interior Ministry to provide strong support if the American forces leave, including artillery and reinforcements.
Some residents speak with hatred about the elite US forces and believe allegations that they committed atrocities.
“Every day they kill our innocent people,” said Abdul Ghafoor, 54, without offering any evidence to back the accusations, as his companions nodded in agreement.
But others seem far more worried about the security vacuum the province may face. Many remember how Wardak was the launching pad for the Taliban when they took over Kabul and much of the country in 1996.
They don’t have to look far. Collapsed buildings, including one that served as a coordination centre for security forces, are a potent reminder of the devastation wreaked by Taliban suicide bombings.
“A small number of people from Wardak province had complained to President Karzai about special forces but now they also know that their decision wasn’t right,” said Hameeda Akbari, a member of parliament from Wardak.
“They want to find a way to solve the problem and keep special forces for some more time. If special forces leave Wardak, the security situation will get worse.”
Some fear the dangers could reach far beyond the provincial capital of Maidan Shahr, where Afghan policemen speed past a children’s playground called Peace Park in jeeps mounted with machine guns.
“As soon as these forces leave this province not only Wardak, but even some parts of Kabul, will be occupied by Taliban and Kabul security will be in danger,” said Haji Rokai, a tribal elder. “So I hope that the government takes a better decision and keep these forces here for longer period.”
Afghan Army Chief of Staff Sher Mohammad Karimi recently said most of the suicide attacks in Kabul were planned just 25km (15 miles) away in Wardak.
“It is one of our biggest concerns,” he said.
Afghan security forces, already at a disadvantage because they lack training and equipment, could become less effective if the Americans leave.
Reuters
