.

 00138

Gebiete     

America's Military Campaign in the Region

19-Nov-2001 by Mullah Abdus-Salam Zaeef, Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan (Published in the Frontier Post, Pakistan) http://66.96.205.195/~azzam/afghan/html/afghanarticleamericanimperialism.htm

 

It is common knowledge that American Imperialism is the custodian of global capitalism. Safeguarding the interests of this menace that has crossed national boundaries in search of greener pastures around the world.

American Imperialism, emerging as the most savage power after the World War II in which it reduced to ashes two big islands of Japan, had proven its credentials as candidate to play the role of international mercenary for the global capital. Thus, the capitalist world selected the Americans as their watchdog on the basis of their savageness in World War II. Barbarism and tyranny are hallmarks of American life and history. The native Americans labeled, as Red Indians are reminiscent of the American savages who committed ethnic cleansing through the length and width of an entire continent. After wiping out the native American, they heaped unparalleled miseries on the people of another continent, Africa, to build their newfound pastures. The entire edifice of their so-called civilization was, thus, laid upon the most atrocious form of tyranny.

Pragmatism, the philosophy of American life that they are brazenly proud of means nothing more than pure selfishness and opportunism. Their entire history is a testimony to the fact that they have no permanent foes and friends, jumping into the fray whenever the environment is found to be entirely conducive but running for cover whenever the stakes are high. These fair-weather friends, notwithstanding the spurious and opportunistic war-time promises of standing through thick and thin to their allies, have an impeccable record of not even looking back to inquire about these allies at the time of their misery. One should not be bewildered, therefore, to find their allies left in the lurch licking their wounds with the American 'master' enjoying the scene from a safe distance.

The bright slogans of freedom and human rights raised by these mercenaries of the global money are mere propaganda tools to make inroads in the Third World and use them as a pretext of interfering in the affairs of other nations for their own petty and selfish goals. To further their Capitalist objectives, Free Market Economy has been imposed on the world through carrot and stick policy, bullying adamant nations into submission and bulldozing their way all over the world through their puppet international organizations and monetary institutions like UNO, IMF, World Bank etc.

The Americans were given tough time by the Communist Bloc for more than seven decades. Both the Communist and the Capitalist blocs were fiercely competing to grab the lion's share of the natural resources of the world, particularly the oil-rich region of the Gulf and the international navigation routes in the warm waters. The American defeat at the hands of the Vietnamese was a great setback to their leadership claims and qualities in the eyes of the capitalist world due to its utter failure to deliver the goods despite its extreme savageness in the war. Had there been any formidable candidate for the leadership of the capitalist world, the American gangster would have been ditched and a new 'Rambo' would have been crowned. Hence, the want of a suitable candidate allowed the ageing and dying leader to remain in the driving seat but with little grip over the shaky balance of power.

The Afghan Jihad provided the dying capitalism and the ailing leader with a golden opportunity not only to avenge its humiliating defeat in Vietnam but also to get rid of its archrival without offering any sacrifice in flesh and blood. The Muslim and freedom loving Afghan nation, in line with the tenets of its faith and true to its invincible record, not only gallantly defended the motherland but also fatally wounded the Polar Bear breaking the myth of its invincibility and exposing the hollowness of Communism. The world came to realize that the Islamic faith is mightier than modern technology as it is the only Religion that can make its followers encounter the aggressors as a formidable wall sacrificing their souls for the better reward of the Hereafter.

The Islamic reawakening due to the Afghan Jihad send shudders down the spines of the colonial West and alarm bells rung in the anti Muslim camps which had plotted to perpetuate their rule of terror and loot in the Muslim world. With the collapse of the Communist Bloc and the much-celebrated demise of the Soviet Union, the arrogant American started feeling to be the sole masters of the world. Arrogance and stupidity combined made the Americans believe that the entire world is theirs to rule and loot the way they like. Soon, they "informed" their to-be-subjects that they had laid out a New World Order for them to follow. Under the New World Order capitalism, the economic doctrine of the materialistic West, was to be practiced by all and the claim of the American supremacy and sovereignty over the entire world euphemized as the leadership of the civilized world had to be acceded to without raising even an eyebrow. They were sure that it was only a question of time for their dream of becoming the sole masters of the entire world to come true.

The American came to know that their ambition could not be realized unless they directly control the life line of the modern world the oil-rich Gulf, not only to manoeuver the prices of oil keeping them low to serve the interests of the capitalist world but to also ensure that the region does not fall in the hands of the Muslim masses who drew inspiration from the gallant struggle of their Afghan brothers. The drama of the invasion of Kuwait, which was undoubtedly orchestrated by the Americans, provided them with the necessary pretext for military intervention. With the bill footed by the Arab countries they were not only able to test their new weapons and revive their recession-hit economy, but also made sure that the entire region remained under their firm control.

These mercenaries of global capitalism also wanted to gain access to the mostly untapped natural resources of Central Asia, but a truly Islamic Afghanistan could prove an impregnable barrier in the way of fulfillment of this goal. Through their own machinations and the wheeling and dealing of their agents in and around Afghanistan, the Americans succeeded in pitting the Mujahideen groups against each other to ensure their mutual elimination and complete destruction of the arm stockpiles left by the Russians.

Last but not the least they aimed, through fuelling the intra-Afghan fighting, at portraying Jihad solely responsible for all the miseries of the Afghan nation so that no other Muslim nation attempts to emulate the Afghan model. The celebrated appearance of Taliban in the gloomy horizons of Afghanistan was a true embodiment of the wishes and a befitting reward for the oppressed Afghan nation on one hand and the death nail in the coffin of the enemies of Islam on the other.

The Taliban, truly conceived by the nation as the custodians of the fruits of Afghan Jihad and welcomed by the nation fed up with the intra-fighting gained control of more than 95 per cent of the country with little or no resistance. Aghast at this new development, the Americans tried to exploit the situation. With peace restored to Afghanistan under the Taliban rule, the American tried to start trade and business with Central Asia via Afghanistan. American oil and gas companies such as UNOCAL came to the region with great pomp and show, making overtures to the new government in a bid to secure a foothold for their oil and gas companies.

In this noble pursuit, they even overlooked the protestations of their European allies over some of the policies of the Islamic Emirate. But to their dismay, they found that they are faced with a new leadership which does not bend to the so-called superpower and is not ready at any price, to mortgage the future of its country to anyone. They also realized that despite their efforts to block the way of an Islamic government in Afghanistan, the sacrifices of the Afghan nation has come to fruition in the shape of a pure Islamic government which has decided to implement the Shariah of Allah in total.

Therefore, the Americans decided to unleash media war against Afghanistan finding faults and criticizing the purely Islamic policies of the Islamic Emirate. The Americans were not only enraged at the prospect of losing a promising region but were also wary of the Islamic system being truly implemented on the soil of Afghanistan as it could serve as a model for other Muslims. No stone was left unturned to tarnish the image of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and isolate it in the world community. To pressurize us, Mr Rabbani, the ousted President, who spent most of his time in Tajikistan and other countries continued to be recognised as the legitimate head of Afghan government which had quasi control over less that 5 per cent of Afghan territory. Further, the Americans dubbed as a terrorist Osama bin Laden who was living in Afghanistan before the advent of Taliban and demanded from the Islamic Emirate to hand him over to the Americans.

Despite our persistent demands of any evidence against his involvement in any terrorist activities, the so-called champions of freedom and justice failed to provide us with any proof. Our desire to find a solution to this problem through negotiations was rebuffed time and again. The Americans used all tactics to browbeat the Muslims of Afghanistan but in vain.

The Clinton administration embroiled in the humiliating sexual scandals of Clinton authorised, as a diversion tactic, the terrorist act of bombarding Afghanistan with cruise missiles killing dozens of innocent civilians. As a proof of our claim that no body is allowed to use the Afghan soil for any hostilities against any country, we placed strict restrictions on communications and activities of Bin Laden. The Americans felt that their plans in the region could be seriously jeopardised by the rapprochement between the resurgent Russians under Putin and the Chinese.

The launching of Shanghai V forum was a clear indication that a new alliance to counter the American hegemonic designs was crystallising in the region. The Americans hastened to win over the Indians as a counter balance to this emerging alliance and to preempt any attempts by the Indians to join the forum or by the members of the forum to woo them to their side. Eyeing the huge Indian market was undoubtedly another objective for this newfound love between the erstwhile antagonistic parties during the Cold War era. The Americans as a gesture of their sincerity to the Indians, felt no hesitation in not only abandoning Pakistan for greener Indian pastures but also squarely blamed the former for its alleged help to the Mujahideen in the occupied Kashmir. The players in this regional game entered into a highly pitched diplomatic battle with the Americans trying to break the alliance with unprecedented offers of economic and military assistance to the Russians. (They reportedly made an incredible offer of buying the obsolete SAM missiles of the Russians at exorbitant prices).

The Chinese on the other hand, rushed to assist the Pakistanis in stabilising their economy and cutting the routes of the Americans to the Central Asian region. The unprecedented promise of the Chinese to build Gwadar Port can be seen in this backdrop. However, the Americans realised that they could not remain in the driving seat unless they gained effective control of the Central Asian riches before the Chinese make a foothold in the region or the Russians can reclaim their lost leverage. The American strategists convinced that the only viable path to the Central Asia for them lies through Afghanistan, pressed for early Action.

Having found that the bandits in the north of Afghanistan are not able to topple the government of the Islamic Emirate, the Americans dragged the deposed king to the counter stage in a bid to create division in the southern and western regions of Afghanistan against the Islamic Emirate. They planned to install a puppet regime in the areas under the control of the Northern Alliance and to push their mercenaries towards Kabul under American air cover. This is a fact known by all and sundry well before the incidents off 11 Sep in New York and Washington.

The statements emanating from Washington immediately after the attacks of 11 Sep made it clear that the Americans wanted to exploit their tragedy for promotion of their colonial designs. The American belligerence and their refusal to provide any evidence against Osama bin Laden or enter into negotiations with the Islamic Emirate left no doubt in the minds of the same people in the world that the proposed American attack on Afghanistan was not a retaliatory act aimed at seeking revenge from those behind the incidents in New York and Washington, but a pre-planned action aiming at occupation of Afghanistan, toppling its Islamic government and installing a puppet regime in its place. Francese Vendrell, the personal envoy of UN Secretary General had been brazenly involved in paving the way for the Americans since his appointment.

It is common knowledge that Mr Vendrell tried to allure many Afghans, much before the incidents in New York and Washington, to participate in this American game impressing upon them that the Americans were actively working to install the deposed king in Afghanistan through military intervention before the winter of 2001. And, therefore, he used to tell them that they should support the plan and reserve a place in the coming set up lest they miss the train. Mr Niaz A Naik, a well-informed Pakistani diplomat, has also disclosed this fact in one of his interviews with BBC some time ago.

In the light of these facts, it is crystal clear that the American attack on Afghanistan has nothing to do with the 11 Sep incidents in New York and Washington. It is a Crusade against the Muslim world in general and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in particular. The confession of Mr Bush that he is waging a Crusade and the assertions of the Italian Prime Minister in which he boasted of the West's capability to defeat the Islamic civilization should serve as timely eye-openers to those who are still burying their heads in the sand.

The Muslims of the world have realized that the Americans' sole purpose is to annihilate a Muslim nation that has chosen to live according to the law of Almighty Allah so that no one else dare commit this crime. They even want to snatch the right of interpretation of Qur'an and Sunnah from the Muslims as true teachings of Qur'an are terrorizing the West.

The Americans have failed to show any credible evidence to the world that can prove involvement of Osama in these incidents. It is amazing to see the AMERICANS have come to our region with greater designs and for a long period to stay. The American game plan is, therefore, unfolding in stages. In the beginning, they started talking in terms of days and possibly weeks and now they are speaking of years. The controlled attack of anthrax is the handiwork of the US intelligence organizations to pave the way for chemical attack on Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Indian belligerence and its troops build up are pressure tactic against Pakistan to yield more to the American demands Irresponsible reports about the security of Pakistan's atomic installation and maddeningly foolish allegations that atomic weapons might have been transferred to Afghanistan are all pointers to the real designs of the Americans in the region. Many armchair critics, oblivious of the American designs in the region and blaming us for not thinking strategically, advised us to surrender Osama and commit what they called the lesser evil. We refused to compromise on our principles shared by all the sane and just people of the world as surrendering a suspect, against whom there is not even an iota of evidence, to the accusing party is clearly tantamount to sacrificing justice at the altar of expediency. Such pragmatism has no place in our Religion and the time-tested traditions of the freedom loving and guest honouring people of Afghanistan. The American planners started counting their chickens before they were hatched.

The 'great minds', in an hour of wishful thinking, thought that the government of the Islamic Emirate would break up under the American air bombardment. Plans for the 'future set-up' under the deposed king who needs physical aid even to stand on his feet were drawn in spectacular haste only to be contested and disputed by different groups of the all-talk-no-action mercenaries. But, to their utter dismay and sheer disgust the Americans found that even shaking the popular and formidable Islamic government is a tall order. The Islamic Emirate is standing as a rock in the face of the most savage and criminal bombardment as the overt attacks of the Americans and the covert they were forced to ûpdate' their plans and started forecasting a long battle and calling for patience at home. Deeply frustrated at their failure to dislodge the Islamic Emirate's government, the criminal terrorists started hitting civilian targets in a calculated way to avenge their failure and to show some 'results'. After almost two weeks of relentless and barbaric bombardment, the American officials had to publicly admit that the Afghans are tough customers and they are faced with a battle-tested and formidable enemy.

The "chocolate soldiers" could not stay on the land of the lions for a full night and had to beat a hasty retreat in the dark of the night leaving behind a downed helicopter and suffering scores of casualties. This made the master terrorists shy away from committing ground forces and instead look for mercenaries from within and around Afghanistan to do the dirty work for them. To salvage their battered and bruised ego, they have started carpet bombing of Afghan villages and cities. Their 'elite troops' fear direct encounter with the Mujahideen and therefore they are 'operating' from behind the lines of Northern bandits.

The Americans must confess that they have lost the first round of the war not only morally and politically but also in the battlefield. Today and particularly after the attack on Afghanistan, the American hypocrisy and double standards with regard to freedom and human rights have been clearly exposed. The American threat to the whole world that either they follow them or be ready to be dubbed as terrorists proved them to be the biggest terrorists in the world intimidating nations to fall in line or get punished by the international terrorist. Many of those who sided with the Americans confessed to have done so under the dangling American sword. The huge demonstrations in the Western and Islamic countries against the American war mongering have clearly shown that the freedom loving people of the world are tired of American terrorism.

Saner voices and respectable writers have declared the American attack on Afghanistan as terrorism. Michael Mandel a professor of law in Toronto wrote: "The bombing of Afghanistan is the legal and moral equivalent of what was done to the Americans on Sept 11. We may come to remember that day, not for its human tragedy, but for the beginning of a headlong plunge into a violent, lawless world,"

George Galloway, a British MP, spoke on the double standards of the West and discrimination against the Muslims where one American life is valued as those of ten Europeans and hundreds of Asians and Muslims. Many others called for a sincere rethinking of the American policies in the Muslim world and demanded an end to their criminal support to the terrorist government of Israel.

It is in the interest of these imperialists to learn a few lessons from the history. They should immediately cease their terrorist activities in the region and pack up before they are forced to leave in disgust and complete humility. It is high time that they see the writing on the wall and desist from provoking the Muslim Ummah further, otherwise they will have to taste their own medicine sooner or later.

We are sure that the Americans will gain one thing in Afghanistan-they will certainly learn a few lessons very much beneficial for their future generations.

.