Europe and USA work Towards Afghan Peace Process
Afghanistan’s long and tortuous road to
peace and reconciliation still seems a near mirage as an entrenched terrorist
insurgency seems to rebuff political and security gains made by the Kabul
government and international military assistance. Still the UN mission in the war torn South
Asian country seems cautiously optimistic and offered a renewed hope for a
still complex peace process.
Addressing the Security Council, Nicholas Haysom, the UN’s
representative for the Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated that, “significant developments” had brought
renewed hope for the peace process including
the new National Unity Government and a dialogue between Afghanistan and
neighboring Pakistan.
While Taliban terrorists had suffered setbacks, other
factions of the militants were willing to negotiate with the central
government.
Ominously, Nicholas Haysom warned that the Islamic State in
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) “had also established a foothold in the country” which
while not yet significant, had a
“potential to offer an alternative flagpole to which otherwise isolated
insurgent splinter groups could rally.”
There were elections which saw the
first-ever transfer from one democratically elected government to another, and
equally, the ending of the long running International Security and Assistance
Force (ISAF) which has been replaced by a new NATO mission, Operation “Resolute
Support”.
Since the multinational intervention in 2001 toppled the
ruling Taliban Islamic fundamentalist regime, security in Afghanistan rested on
American forces as well as ISAF. In
turn both the USA and ISAF have been training Afghan security forces and police
to various levels of success as to be able to independently carry the country’s
security burden.
The ISAF mission ended in 2014 with the Afghan national army
assuming full responsibility for combat operations.
Today the new NATO mission “Resolute Support” deploys a
multinational force of 13,000 of which the USA fields 6,800 troops, Germany
850, Italy 500 and the United Kingdom 470, among others. Just one year ago, ISAF still maintained a
51,000 contingent which included 33,000 Americans. Despite the ongoing insurgency, the mission
has been considerably downsized.
To be sure, the situation has changed. British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant stated,
“We must not lose sight of how far Afghanistan has come in the last year,” in light
of the presidential election and the Kabul government’s responsibility for
security.
What the Kabul government calls the Transformation Decade (2015-2024)
nonetheless faces a peace process which the UN envoy called “fragile and
vulnerable to external destabilization,” and a moribund economy as well.
Afghanistan still
depends heavily on development aid with the USA and Japan being the top
donors.
Now the new “fighting season” in Afghanistan will test the
mettle of the Afghan army and shall equally challenge the political will of
countries, especially the USA, to keep a small but significant troop commitment
as a security “insurance policy” to guard the past gains which were won through
so much blood, sweat, sacrifice and treasure.
