Taliban’s open letter to Trump deconstructed


Christof Lehmann (nsnbc) : The Taliban a.k.a. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, published an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, dated February 15, 2018. Purporting to promote peace and rationality and making several valid and important points, the letter also clearly demonstrates why a peace that would appease the Taliban and give it a key role in Afghan politics would be about as much a threat to human rights as many Afghan politicians and functionaries currently in office, who have been linked to most serious war crimes and human rights violations.

Taliban chief Mawlavi Akhundzada.

Taliban chief Mawlavi Akhundzada.

Claims the war is unwinnable. Addressing U.S. President Donald Trump, the Taliban stressed that U.S. forces have been in Afghanistan for 16 years, having used “… every means to win this war”. The Taliban also noted that the United States, “despite the fact that the former administration officials created a large coalition” to attack Afghanistan”, their military presence has resulted in Afghanistan becoming the “most unstable country security wise, the most corrupt administrative wise and the poorest country economically”. Without reflecting on its own role and contribution to keeping the country impoverished and unde-developed, for example by targeting schools and girls who attempted to get an education, it is blaming “individuals who are the most repulsive, wretched and hated faces in the Afghan society due to their servitude to foreigners”.

Criminals in government. Addressing Trump personally, the Taliban notes that “It is entirely possible that you are being provided rosy pictures about Afghanistan by the stooges you have installed and they are showering you will titles ‘allies of the Afghans’ in their ceremonial addresses but understand that the Afghans possess sound intellect . They judge you by the results of your 16 year presence in Afghanistan and not by the slogans of the lying corrupt rulers under your control. You must realize that these repulsive sellouts neither care about your interests nor that of their own nation, rather the only thing they hold dear is retaining their seat of power and securing their personal interests. They are not solely subservient to you either but will eagerly be the puppet of any foreign backer to retain their illegitimate grip on power. Even in the current government that you have built, they maintain illicit contacts with tens of other foreign powers”.

Afghanistan's oligarchy - warlords and rights abuses included - unchanged for decades.

Afghanistan’s oligarchy – warlords and rights abuses included – unchanged for decades.

Unstable, inherently conflicted government. The Taliban also underpinned what it apparently perceives as the inherent weaknesses and conflicts within the current government, stressing that “The government which you tried to establish over the past 16 years by spending billions of dollars, sacrificing thousands of soldiers and losing tens of thousands to injuries and mental illness is in a condition where its leader cannot accept his own deputy. You are witnessing that at this very moment the First Vice President – the war criminal and warlord – General Dostum is creating an opposition coalition outside the country against Ashraf Ghani, provincial governors have begun rising against him and Members of Parliament are demanding his resignation”.

Accusing others of serious crimes without reflecting on own atrocities. The Taliban correctly points out that Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum who has been linked to serious war crimes and the sexual abuse of political opponents, among others, has been made First Vice President under President Ashraf Ghani.

On the other hand, Dostum’s name has been included in documents the Afghan government sent to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Even considering that the ICC has more than its share of “issues” with selective prosecution and more, the mere fact that “a government” would include the name of a first vice president in documents that can lead to charges for war crimes and other most serious crimes must be considered as “a step in the right direction.

And, it is questionable whether the Taliban, if it were in power, would surrender its officers and fighters to national or international courts to be tried for war crimes, extrajudicial executions, summary executions based on alleged Sharia law, including well-documented cases in which a husband had to execute his own, allegedly unfaithful wife. While recognizing the corruption of the current regime, one would want to ask if the Taliban would submit its fighters and officers to be tried for girls and women who were targeted for pursuing an education of a job.

Pointing out that the Taliban once was U.S. ally against the Soviet Union and the Communist plague. The Taliban stressed that Trump, if he glanced over history, would come to know that Afghans have done the biggest favor internationally.  They rescued you and the entire world from the Red Communist Plague with their immeasurable sacrifices. Do you wish to repay this historical favor of the valiant Afghan nation by forcing upon them such incompetent, corrupt, immoral and criminal officials?”

Ronald Reagan meets Afghan Mujahideen Commanders at the White House in 1985 (Reagan Archives)

Ronald Reagan meets Afghan Mujahideen Commanders at the White House in 1985 (Reagan Archives)

The Taliban was indeed one of the key actors in the U.S.-backed overthrow of the Soviet Union-installed government, but it wasn’t the only one.

It was, however, the Taliban that seized power and held on to it by any means possible, preventing a genuine participatory political discourse while propping up a theocracy not unlike the one that can be observed in neighboring Iran today.

What one must recognize, however, is that the United States had no second thoughts about propping up a medieval, oppressive and inhumane Taliban regime as long as “the Taliban puppet regime” would play along with U.S. Pipe-line-dreams and as long as the Taliban was a strategic ally in the proxy war against the U.S.S.R. and Communism.

However, the Taliban’s statement that “A sound mind and healthy conscience dictates that the monumental actions and international favor of this persecuted nation should be repaid by dealing and interacting with them generously and not through invasions, throwing them into the fire of imposed wars, trampling upon their religious and national values and installing the most corrupt officials as custodians of their” suggests that the Taliban could show a greater readiness to come to a negotiated peace than it has been in recent years.

The 2005 public hanging of two teenagers for gay sex in Iran sparked international outrage but other, not so highly publicized cases are commonplace. Is Indonesia heading in the same direction?

The 2005 public hanging of two teenagers for gay sex in Iran sparked international outrage but other, not so highly publicized cases are commonplace. Is Indonesia heading in the same direction?

The question many will be asking is whether the Taliban has matured so much that it would be willing to separate religion and State, religion and government, the judiciary and religion, or if it still aims at reintroducing a Sunni version of the Shia theocracy in neighboring Iran where homosexual teenagers face public hangings for their “sodomy” and alleged “perversions”. Most Afghans, even moderate religious Afghans, would tend to agree that soccer is more entertaining than public executions at soccer stadiums, that the time when the rich Afghan performing arts and culture is ruthlessly oppressed by religious zealots must end; The sooner the better. Unless the Taliban is ready to enter a dialog on these issues and many others, it would be very unlikely that there is a place for the Taliban in future Afghan politics unless it wins a military victory.

U.S. occupied Afghanistan under irrational arguments. One has to admit that there are very few, in 2018, who believe that the Taliban was involved in the acts of terrorism in the U.S.A. on September 11, 2001. Moreover, the Taliban stressed explicitly, that the Afghan (Taliban) government would extradite Osama bin Laden to the U.S.A. provided that the U.S. would present evidence in support of the allegations against bin Laden. In its open letter, the Taliban states “Your previous officials decided to invade Afghanistan without weighing its consequences. They occupied Afghanistan under irrational arguments which had nothing to do with the Afghans. The Afghans who rose against your forces in defense of their land, creed and people did so as a legitimate struggle that is why the fully armed forces of 48 nations under your leadership were unable to pacify and eliminate them”.

No hard feelings against Americans but. The Taliban continued noting that “The Afghans have no ill-intention towards the Americans or any other nation around the world but if anyone violates their sanctums then they are mighty proficient at beating and defeating the transgressors”. This is a key statement because it does indicate the Taliban leadership’s readiness to negotiate a peace settlement.

Legal?

Legal?

Legal or legitimate? The Taliban underpinned that “The religious and national struggle of our people is not some illegitimate or proxy war rather it takes root from a pure spiritual and national fervor. Your intelligence agencies admit that our Mujahideen are not being supported by any country and neither can they produce any proof in the contrary. After repeated invasions, our nation understands well how to wage long wars with invaders and force them out of their homeland with their traditional weapons and equipment paired with towering resolve and zeal”.

It is important to make a clear distinction between legitimate and legal. Legitimacy is no judicial principal or principal of law. It is a perceived right or a perceived wrong that can change depending on the point of view of the one(s) using these terms. Legal is what is not criminal, lawfully established, in accordance with a law or laws. Of course, one can perceive a law as illegitimate but it is crucial to be aware of the differences and the functions of terms like legitimacy and legal.

Legitimate oppression and executions of women under summarily imposed Shia law?

Legitimate oppression and executions of women under summarily imposed Sharia “law” and “the law of the gun”?

The Taliban was the internationally recognized “legal” government of Afghanistan. Many would say its human rights record made it an “illegitimate” government. There are – at the very least – serious doubts about the “legality” of the war against Afghanistan and the declared “regime change” goal with the invasion of the country. One might of course argue whether the invasion was “legitimate” even though it might have been illegal.

The Taliban maintains that it perceives its national resistance and religious resistance is “legitimate”. It would, arguably, be correct if the Taliban said that its “resistance against the attacking military forces was legal”. It could even plausibly argue the case that its continued “national resistance” against the occupation and what it calls the proxy or puppet government is “legal”.

Starting out with discussing the language of a discourse in conflict resolution can be a good stating point for working towards direct peace talks. Understanding that semantics imply syntax and perceived positions, rights and obligations, an obvious starting point would be to find common ground on perceived legality vs legitimacy.

The presence of proxies, including Iranian has long been known and published, among others by Pakistani Major (r( Agha H. Amin Map plottings, Major (r) Agha Humayum Amin

The presence of proxies, including Iranian has long been known and published, among others by Pakistani Major (r( Agha H. Amin Map plottings, Major (r) Agha Humayum Amin

Taliban not supported by any country? What Taliban and what country? The Taliban claims that “Your intelligence agencies admit that our Mujahideen are not being supported by any country and neither can they produce any proof in the contrary. After repeated invasions, our nation understands well how to wage long wars with invaders and force them out of their homeland with their traditional weapons and equipment paired with towering resolve and zeal”.

One does not even have to go to U.S. intelligence services. One might as well want to refer to Afghan intelligence and reports about the increased presence of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard troops among Taliban fighters in west and northwest Afghanistan. Concurrently, there have been a growing number of – in some cases – substantiated reports about Iranian weapons and munitions seized from captured or killed Taliban, and the joint Iranian – Taliban recruitment of young Afghan men for the war in Syria. “The Taliban” is today clearly backed by Iran, even though some Taliban factions are backed by Pakistan.

A historic mistake to put Americans into harms way? The Taliban claims that previous U.S. presidents made a historic mistake by putting young Americans into harms way. In its open letter it states “American youth are not born to be killed in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan in order to establish the writ of thieves and corrupt officials and neither would their parents approve of them killing civilians in Afghanistan. Rather you and American officials have the grave responsibility of protecting the lives of American youth which is your indispensable human resource. It seems to be a historical mistake on part of the previous administrations to have dispatched American youth for the slaughter of Afghans however as a responsible American President, you need to study the mistakes of your predecessors and prevent death and injury to American forces in Afghanistan. Generals are concealing the real statistics of your dead and crippled however the Afghans can easily count the coffins being sent your way on a daily basis”.

Ancient Buddha figure blown up by Taliban - does anyone else recognize a pattern repeated by the Islamic State?

Ancient Buddha figure blown up by Taliban – does anyone else recognize a pattern repeated by the Islamic State?

Ironically the Taliban is here stumbling as much in inconsistencies its rhetoric as many U.S. propagandists. The Taliban clearly appreciated U.S. support in the fight against the U.S.S.R. when it occupied Afghanistan. The U.S. chose to back the Taliban and international volunteers organized in a network that would later become popularized under the band name Al-Qaeda.

It praised the United States for its support while the Taliban also is confident that its role served U.S. interests. Ironically, because neither the Taliban, nor the “Supreme Leader” of Iran, nor Islamist, AKP-ruled Turkey, complained about U.S. troops being put in harms way in Libya or Syria in 2011.

Iranian Ayatollah Khamenei would, in 2011, describe the ousting and murder of Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi as “a revolution” and the rest of the Islamist world, Sunni and Shia, would sing similar tunes – as a figure of speech – not forgetting that some Islamists would rather see musicians killed for their audacious and blasphemous, non-Sharia-compliant cultural activities.

Taliban could easily take control of major cities, does not do it to avoid civilian casualties. The Taliban is, of course, making a brilliant and valid point when it stresses that the U.S.A. would not be the first to be defeated in Afghanistan and that three empires have been defeated there.

The Taliban also notes that “The war situation in Afghanistan is far worse than you realize! You are witnessing that Mujahideen are wresting control of several districts from the corrupt regime in a one week span and are seizing so much equipment that they can continue fighting for a long time. They can easily take control of all major highways of the country and if it were not for fear of civilian casualties, they would conquer many provincial capitals currently under sieges”.

Afghan women in Jawzyan organize against Taliban abominations.

Afghan women in Jawzyan organize against Taliban abominations.

Every child raised with a spirit of vengeance. The Taliban’s lack of compliance with humanitarian law and human rights shines right through the following statement: Here every Afghan views your soldiers as invaders and transgressors and even the soldiers who you spend a lot of treasure upon frequently open fire on your troops with the same weapon you have provided. Here every parent teaches his offspring about emancipating his country from invaders. In a land where every child is raised with a spirit of vengeance and holds the historic honor of defeating three Empires before you, how will you achieve a stable condition for permanent presence?”

It is not to say that U.S. or NATO troops putting non-combatant civilians and children into harms way, time and time again, is justifiable. One clear objective any side that truly wants a political settlement in Afghanistan could and should declare is to end the indoctrination of children to hate the perceived enemy. The fact that “every child” would be raised in a spirit of vengeance would only show how important it would be to make an extra effort to protect minors who have no understanding of the local, regional and global implications of the war from indoctrinating them to become cannon fodder, to be abused as the next generation of violators and victims.

(archives)

(archives)

Disorder in Afghanistan and the region without the Taliban? The following statement has by many analysts been understood as a thinly-veiled threat, implying that the region could descend into chaos without the Taliban – or because of it. At the end of its letter, the Taliban stated: “President of the United States! The uprising of the people of Afghanistan under the leadership of Islamic Emirate is an organized and accountable national, political and regional military force which has prevented many calamities from taking root. If it were not for the responsible policies and organized movement of the Islamic Emirate, such disorder would arise that its flames shall reach the neighbors, region and the entire world. If someone were to understand this reality, they would truly consider the Islamic Emirate as mercy for Afghanistan, region and the world because the Islamic Emirate does not have any intention or policy of causing harm to anyone and neither will it allow others to use the Afghan soil against anyone. It would be a grave mistake on your part to force the Afghan Muslim nation – who have so far fought you with their meager tools – to reach out to your foes in order to gain their independence and free themselves from your oppression. Therefore it would be better for you to understand the realities as a responsible President of the United States and then make decisions based upon them. And understand this with an open heart that if you failed to win the Afghan war with professional US and NATO troops, advanced technology, experienced military Generals, consecutive strategies and mighty economy, you shall never be able to win it with mercenaries, notorious contractor firms and immoral stooges”. The dilemma that any U.S. administration would face is, of course, that the Taliban never was and probably never will be a more ethical or even moral stooge than the current or previous Afghan administration. Exclusively blaming the U.S.A. is not only dishonest and deceitful, it suggests rigidity and a lack of will to peace and peaceful, realistic and pragmatic politics and conflict resolution.

CH/L – nsnbc 16.02.2018



Source Article from https://nsnbc.me/2018/02/16/talibans-open-letter-to-trump-deconstructed/

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