Taliban got Kabul. Now what?

Dr. Jassim Taqui

DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, August 19, 2021: shocked by the Taliban(T) smooth occupation of Kabul, the military strategists ask: Now what? There is no ambiguity. The T is set to extend control to include a national takeover. In essence, the Joe Biden administration is gifting $ 2 trillion in money spent on Afghanistan during 20 years of occupation.

From a wider perspective, the fallout of this policy would not be confined to Afghanistan. It would be extended to US foreign policy and the world at large.

The mistakes of the war on terror are laid bare. There could be an even greater tragedy, worse than 9/11 if the strategists fail to learn the right lessons from it.

Everything planned seems to falter including the “ stay longer, leave better” doctrine, $80 billion spent to train Afghan security forces, and failure of good governance. In fact, rampant corruption spread instead in all Afghan institutions including the Presidency and armed forces.

Viewing the past 20 years of US policy, one finds that the fears of terrorism greatly surpassed the actual danger causing losses estimated at trillions of dollars spent and many millions of lives lost or disrupted. In essence, this outcome is an antithesis to upholding human rights.