What is the extent of American military involvement now in Afghanistan? Am I correct in thinking that American troops have been greatly reduced and that they rarely venture out of the capital?
Answer
American military presence in Afghanistan is considered somehow limited. It reaches around 10,000 US troops, based in military bases such as Bagram, north of Kabul, and others in Kandahar, Khost (southern areas).
These forces are focused on military action against those who remain of Taliban and al-Qaeda. At this point, American presence in these kinds of operations is not massive on the ground; they changed the nature of their presence through covering operations through air cover, and information provision. This is to minimize the number of casualties among American forces. Still, there are casualties among them.
Lately, Americans modified their military policy by creating reconstruction groups composed of military and civilian Americans to participate in the reconstruction process in Afghanistan. There is no doubt that American presence in Afghanistan is supported by other American bases in the region as well, especially in Pakistan and Central Asia.
American forces rarely move around in the cities, possibly out of fear of being targeted. They confine their presence to actual military operations. Recently, they have joined in the reconstruction process.
Name
Jay
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Profession
Question
I was wondering what the situation of women is now in Afghanistan. Given that they have always constituted the hottest issue spoken about in Afghanistan, is there actual improvement in their conditions? Are they happier without the Burqa?
Answer
In Afghanistan, both men and women are suffering from poverty, civil wars, corruption, political repression and chaos, foreign intervention and international apathy and ignorance.
The women issue has been raised by the West for the fulfillment of certain political objectives.
It is important to note that women in Afghanistan have been wearing the Burqa for a long time, even before the Taliban. The fact that certain women were forced to wear the hijab under the Taliban does not mean that all women were suffering. Even now after the Taliban, most Afghani women continue to wear the Burqa. The few women who took it off do not represent the vast majority.
The period after the Taliban bears witness to a series of political, social and cultural activities by different women organizations for the establishment and legitization of women's rights in Afghanistan. Yet I fear that these activities are a mere facade for the fulfillment of certain goals and objective that contradict Afghanistan's Muslim tradition, thereby creating a form of confusion and division in Afghanistan's different segments, rather than actually improving women's conditions in the country on the ground.
Name
Shoaib
-
Profession
University Student
Question
Assalamu ALaikum wa Rahmatullah,..the question i would like to ask is that :
"Is the fight against the Americans inside Afghanistan considered a Jihad as it is happening right now??Is there another soloution for this problem ?
Answer
Regarding the first part of your question, you can direct it to the Fatwa section.
In general, I can say that there are two major approaches to the question inside Afghanistan: Some Ulama argue that American forces are there for help, others argue that they are invaders, and that they should be fought.
From a purely political perspective, I can say that the Americans already finished their military tasks in Afghanistan by toppling the Taliban regime and destroying al-Qaeda bases inside Afghanistan. There is a general hate towards American military presence in Afghanistan except for some Westernized members of the Afghani government that see their future to be completely tied with American presence there.
I would also like to mention that there is a strong demand for international presence, instead of American military presence. This would be acceptable for most Afghanis.
There is no more justification for US presence in Afghanistan. The international community should support Afghanistan in rebuilding its own government and proceeding in its own reconstruction process. It would push them towards stability, in which case there would be no further spoken reasons for the continuation of American presence in the country.
Name
J
- Canada
Profession
Question
How does the average Afghani perceive Karzai? Is there a difference along ethnic lines? Alternatively, how do they feel about Bin Laden?
Answer
Regarding Karzai, I would say that he was the best choice for the US, for regional powers and Afghani factions for the post-Taliban era. Right now, however, I do not think that he enjoys the same support from Afghani factions, who agreed to him in the Bonn conference in December of 2001. There is now a strong political struggle within the government. Karzai does not have a strong domestic political ground on which to base his power, which came primarily from outside. Currently, factions have different political and ethnic agendas.
The average Afghani has started to lose his hope in the person of Karzai. Karzai failed to meet the promises he made for the Afghani people in June of 2002, as he took the oath as president of Afghanistan.
For the average Afghani, there still are no signs of stability or progess, or even international promises fulfilled. Battles continue in the south of the country, and war lords continue to control different areas in Afghanistan and do not offer a complete form of allegiance to the central Afghani government.
As for bin Laden, he may enjoy popularity in the southern areas among some Pashtuns, from whom most of the Taliban leadership and forces was formed, and are still fighting the Karzai government in these areas.
Name
mick
- United Kingdom
Profession
SELF EMPLOYED
Question
a/a
can you tell me if the taliban will take back control of afhganistan
thanks
Answer
I'm not so optimistic about their return, due to the following reasons:
First, the Taliban has governed with the power of the sword and with an iron fist. They consolidated their power and established stability in southern areas, while other parts of Afghanistan suffered from their repression. On the other hand, they failed to create a strong leadership or a modern form of government. They did not have a good reputation for all Afghanis.
Second, the Taliban relied to a very large extent on Pakistani and al-Qaeda support, in financial, logistic and manpower terms, which is no longer available in the same quantity.
Name
Hoda
- Syria
Profession
Question
Have Hekmattyar’s forces been active in fighting US troops? Do they also fight the government’s forces? When and why did he decide to take up arms against the new government, and why the change in policy, given his attitude towards the Taliban before the invasion?
Answer
Yes. Hekmattyar's forces have been active in the fight against US troops in the eastern part of Afghanistan, where he enjoys local support. As far as I know, Hekmattyar announced Jihad against foreign troops, not the Afghani government. That does not mean that his forces are not fighting the forces of the government, especially that had been fighting Mujahideen governments long before American presence.
He assumed a position of neutrality between the Taliban and Rabbani's government during the period 1996-2001. After 9/11, and with the American move to fight in Afghanistan, there were negotiations between Hekmattyar and the Taliban, which failed when Mullah Omar denied Hekmattyar's offer for support.
After the fall of the Taliban and the formation of the new Afghani government, Iran expelled Hekmattyar as a goodwill gesture for the new government. Then he returned to the borders between Afghanistan and Pakistan, from where he managed his political and military struggle.
Name
marwan
- Canada
Profession
salesman
Question
I've heard that when the northern alliance conquered Kabul that in reality the russians indirectly took control of the country because they're the backers of the northern alliance and a lot of its members are ex-communists. Is this true?
Answer
No. It is not true. The northern alliance was a combination of various Afghani factions in which general Dostam was an ex-communist. The others were Mujahideen factions and parties, both Sunni and Shi'a, opposing the Taliban and seeking support mostly from Iran, Russia, India as well as some countries in Central Asia and in Europe.
The Russian influence is not as much as widely believed, but Russians try to keep their presence active in the region.
Name
Kate
- United States
Profession
Question
I’d heard news reports that suggested that the Loya Jirga that brought Karzai to power was rigged. Is there any truth to the matter, or was Karzai legitimately elected as president of the country?
Answer
The last Loya Jirga was a great achievement for Afghanis. Karzai came to power through a backdoor deal between major Afghani factions, with accumulated interests and mutual agreements on all sides.
The very nature of the Loya Jirga does not take the classical form of elections.
Name
Zein
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Profession
Question
Why have the United States and the Afghan government allowed the resumption of poppy cultivation in light of their apparent interest in reducing the drug trade, and how were the Taliban so successful in stamping it out?
Answer
Beginning with the last part of your question, the Taliban had banned the cultivation of poppy just one year before their fall. As long as they were enjoying full control on the ground in most of the lands which were situated in the southern areas, they managed to consolidate their power and implement the ban. This ban raised the price of accumulated drugs, which made the Taliban indirectly benefit from drug trafficking.
After their collapse, once again, the average Afghani peasant found himself in a situation of poverty and impoverishment with the absence of governmental and international aid and programs for alternatives.
Name
Ahmad
-
Profession
Question
Is there any form of large-scale construction going on in Afghanistan, akin to what the Americans are doing in Iraq?
Answer
In the Tokyo conference of January 2002, the war promised $5.2 billion for the reconstruction of Afghanistan during the following 5 years. This number is very small in comparison to the destruction witnessed in Afghanistan by 25 years of wars.
Lately, the international community estimates a number of $15 billion for the same period. In reality, Afghanistan received $2 billion from international committments, yet just 16% of this amount has been spent on reconstruction projects. The rest went to humanitarian and emergency aid and in direct support for government budget in other management costs.
This means that real construction projects still wait for implementation, some of which have already started, such as rebuilding the road between Kabul and Herat in the west, via Kandahar, with a budget of $250 million.
Name
Muneer Hassan
- Qatar
Profession
Software Engineer
Question
Following the September 11 terrorist attacks in
the United States, no other terrorist was portrayed by the United
States as more dangerous than al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and no
other Islamic fundamentalist group was presented to the American
people as more despicable than the Taliban. Within a month the United
States invaded Afghanistan to "take out" the Taliban, al-Qaeda and bin
Laden, while the world lined up behind the new anti-terrorist messiahs
from Washington, providing it the necessary moral and vocal support.
Why, then, is Washington now weakening President Karzai and allowing
the strengthening and re-emergence of the Taliban?
Answer
Your doubt has some ground, which leads us to the real objectives of American presence in the region. From my point of view, Washington needs justifications to keep its military presence in the region for the following reason:
1. Further containing and surrounding Iran.
2. Keeping an eye on China.
3. Controling the coming oil and gas projects from Central Asia to the south through Afghanistan.
4. Controling the situation in South Asia, where nuclear competition between India and Pakistan continues.
5. Controling the rise of political Islam in the region.
Name
Mohamed Isse
- Somalia
Profession
Engineer
Question
As we know The Taliban rule was redoff, and now still there is fighting between Taliban and Afgan Government, and we now that Taliban was marked as Terror Regime. so, What is the aim Of Taliban now.
Answer
It is true that the Taliban government has been toppled in Afghanistan in November 13, 2001, but it does not mean that they disappeared forever. They regrouped and rearranged themselves inside Afghanistan and Pakistan. They started with tiny operations targeting Afghani government troops and American forces and recently developed themselves with arms, ammunition and communication, moving in large numbers in targeting key points.
In spite of all this, they still have a long way to constitute a serious danger for the Afghani government in the short term.
Name
Karima
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Profession
Question
How much influence do the warlords retain under Karzai’s rule? I’ve read horror stories about torture and brutality by Ismail Khan’s troops, and wonder why this is tolerated.
Answer
The warlord issue is the most important issue on the Afghani agenda. They still retain the full power in their destinies. Karzai's government failed in disarming them and limiting their influence in their areas, despite his repeated threats.
Regardling Ismail Khan, I consider him the best among the warlords, if you consider him as such. He served his people by offering all sorts of services, and he has been lately victimized by Western media just because he was applying Islamic laws in his area of influence, and refused the American military presence in his areas, which border Iran.
Name
Faisal
- Canada
Profession
Question
who really is in control of Afganistan. Sometimes I hear its the Taliban and other time its the Afganistan government and the U.S, an you make it clear for us, thank you.
Answer
Afghanistan is controled by the Afghani government, composed of Karzai and a coalition of different factions, be they warlords or otherwise, that come from different zones of influence in Afghanistan. And this is the official representer of Afghanistan.
Name
Ennes ( Dionysis)
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Profession
Question
What is the situation in Afghanistan now. We heard that the Taleban allready controls two provinces in the border woth pakistan since August. Also there are reports that american are being attacked and have suffered casualities, And do you think the taleban has the enough force to overthrow "The Puppet government of Karzai" and regain Power. Thanx!
Answer
Your question has already been answered. However, I would like to clarigy that it is not true that the Taliban is in control of two provinces on the border with Pakistan. The truth is that they control vast areas in some districts, not provinces in that region.
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