US President’s Reiteration of Ending War
The US and other allies of Afghanistan in the war against terror have already decided that they would end the war in Afghanistan by the year 2014. After 2014, when the international security forces would have withdrawn completely, Afghanistan is expected to shoulder the responsibility of the security and management of the country itself. However, there are real concerns regarding such an expectation.
Reiterating the commitment of US to end the war in Afghanistan, US President, Barack Obama, has once again ensured that the transition to Afghan forces would be completed by 2014 as he had promised before he was elected as a president.
Speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Nevada on Monday, July 23, he said that US war against terrorism was being won as Osama bin Laden was already defeated and Al-Qaeda was on the road to be conquered. He also showed his satisfaction from the ongoing transition period and hoped that the security transition to Afghan forces would result in better conditions in Afghanistan.
It is important to see that US has been urging to end the war against terrorism but more important is the fact that the war should be concluded properly, not just ended. Proper conclusion would require doing more than what is being done in the security transition. The transition of security arrangements alone would not solve the issues in Afghanistan; rather the overall scenario has to go through a transition.
The country has to seek a suitable reconciliation process and above all the Afghan political system has to go through a process of change so as to make it able to govern its people properly. There have been controversies regarding Afghan government and its capacity to deal with the challenges within the country.
In fact, it has been observed that Afghan government has not been able to provide rudimentary requirements of life to majority of its people and have not been able to seek appropriate solution to various political problems that influence the system to a great extent. There has been a label of corruption and many, both in national and international circles, do not believe that it has the potential to achieve 'good governance'.
Though the international community has, on various occasions, emphasized that their support is conditioned on the basis of good governance yet there has not been major steps taken by Afghan government to make achievements in this regard. A decade of support and assistance seems to have gone in vain and the country still suffers from myriads of problems.
Taliban Now Dependent on Modern Technology
The history of Afghanistan is full of misfortunes. There have not been many governments whose achievements should be the sample of our historical pride. There have been only a few leaders accepted by all the ethnic groups living in the country as the national heroes. But considering all the miseries, during the five years of Taliban regime, they had banned the usage of modern technology even. The country's administrative system was being purely controlled through extremist and obsolete religious ideas and efforts were made to establish a so-called Islamic Emirate.
They had deployed their own perceived rules of Islamic Emirate in the society. Now it is really surprising to hear that Taliban have emerged using internet as a tool of promoting their ideologies via social networks such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Taliban ruled the country since 1996 to 2001. During this era; the usage of any type of technology was banned and anyone found using the technology such as radio, tab-recorder or any other sort of digital media was sentenced to punishment. Taliban were considering the modern technology as the products of Non-Muslims and Western world. They were used to believe that technology is the tool of propaganda used by Western people against Islamic Empire. But now according to the reliable sources and proves insurgent videos being published and uploaded over the internet indicate that they regularly use this technology so as to prop up their ideas and thoughts worldwide against their opponents.
The militants are hesitant to discuss the thinking behind their Internet U-turn, but last year's Arab Spring was a wake-up call to the Muslim world about the ability of social media to organize mass movements and communicate a message outside traditional channels.
Taliban's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they would still ban the Internet or any other media outlet if they were used for "un-Islamic" purposes, but for now they are happy to use it as a public relations tool. They have set up an official website featuring propaganda videos depicting their campaigns against US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan, including scenes of attacks and bombings.
They are now regarding the social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as great tools of passing their messages and communicating way out of their under control territories. Along using the internet and media they still insist on banning them in the society if they are not used for the Islamic Empire's enlargement purposes.
Mental Health Problems among Afghans
The long term war in Afghanistan has left grave impacts on all fields of life in Afghanistan including social, political and economic sectors. The unremitting bloodshed and killings have extensively influenced the psychology of Afghan people. According to Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) over sixty percent of the Afghan population suffers from mental health problems.
Major portion of that figure is formed by women. Afghan women have been suffering throughout the history of Afghanistan. Although more than ten years of the collapse of Taliban's government have passed, in many parts of Afghanistan the women have to follow Taliban's rules and regulations.
The reasons for this high figure are described as continuation of war, poverty, poor economy and lack of employment opportunities. Instability persists in the country as the influences of insurgents are extending. NATO troops and Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) have been operating against militants.
These operations cost lives of soldiers and civilians and billions of dollars. In spite of that momentum of terrorism does not seem to be reversing. The lingering war is affecting the mental health of Afghans. Another prominent reason for psychological problems of Afghans is deemed the increasing rate of poverty.
According to a report of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights released in March, 2010, nine million Afghans or 36 percent of the population "are believed to live in absolute poverty and a further 37 percent live only slightly above the poverty line" despite about $35 billion of outside aid sent to the country between 2002 and 2009.
Unemployment in the country has caused many people grow mental problems or go astray. Based on the estimation, around 60 percent of the Afghan population is formed by youths most of whom are unemployed. Unemployment is causing the Afghans to illegally travel to other countries at the risk of their lives, join insurgency or commit social crimes.
Although thousands of Afghan youths are engaged in security sector and can be seen in the uniforms of police and army, major portion of Afghan labor force is being wasted because of very little development in industrial sector and non availability of job opportunities in other sectors of Afghanistan.
Living a life in Afghanistan is extremely difficult. The people living in country where future is completely ambiguous and insecure would with no doubt grow mental problems and this must not be seen as surprising factor.
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