Untold Facts

Afghanistan: The Marjah operations

Marjah is a part of Nad Ali district in Helmand province, Afghanistan. It has 80,000 population and the district headquarter of Nad Ali is situated in Marjah town. Though it is not the main stronghold of the Taliban, it should be noted that its proximity to the Iranian and the Pakistani borders of Baluchistan is intriguing.

So, its location was a factor of consideration when chosen by the US and coalition forces for military operations rather than Washer and Baghiran areas in Helmand province, which are also under control of the Taliban.

Earlier on January 30 this year, Eikenberry, US ambassador to Afghanistan, told reporters that the US and the NATO troops would launch massive operations in Helmand and Kandahar simultaneously, but they chose only Marjah.

Since last Saturday, February 13, 2010, when the operations began, 120 Taliban militants are reported to have been killed, according to the Afghan government and coalition forces. The Taliban, however, do not confirm the accounts. Instead, they claim to have killed more than 25 foreign troops and have downed two predator planes.

Similarly, many civilians have lost their lives in missiles and mortar atacks by coalition forces. Spokespersons of foreign troops put their casualties at 11 soldiers and still counting.

According to media reports, 60 helicopters are taking part in the operation beside 15,000 troops, including the mighty IED-busting 65-ton Trojan tank called The “Swiss Army Knife.” It is built to cut through the harshest of terrains with its monster tool kit

On the basis of human rights organizations, more than 10,000 families have fled Marjah to take refuge in Khash Rod district of neighboring Nimroz province and other parts of Helmand.

According to General Sher Mohammad Zazi, commander of the joint operations, 500-600 Taliban are puting up resistance in Marjah. But, Taliban sources say their number is 1,000 militants. Many of the Taliban groups from northern and southern provinces of Afghanistan have joined them and are now fighting with them.

The Taliban claim that they are still in control of Marjah and put invitation on their website, calling on independent media outlets to visit Marjah to verify that they are still in control. On the first day of the operations, the coalition forces had a spectacular advancement, taking Marjah district headquarter and city markets, but on the following day, the advancement slowed down. Small mobile teams of the armed Taliban and their suicide bombers bounced back, encircling the area.

Now, they repeatedly atack US and Afghan troops with rockets, snipers, and rocket-propelled grenade besides ambushing columns of mine-clearing vehicles, close to the main road of Marjah.

British major general Nick Carter told reporters at the Pentagon via satellite that it would take one month to clear Marjah and 3 months to judge whether the operations were successful or not He said the coalition was facing “stiff resistance” from Taliban small groups.

According to the Afghan government, two thousand police men from the Afghan National Police (ANP) will remain in Marjah to ensure that the Taliban do not return and will start reconstruction work.

But the UN announcing (that they will not participate in the reconstruction in Marjah when the operations are over) came as a hard blow to the Pentagon efforts to win hearts and minds of the local people.

After the London conference on January 28, a trust fund was established with 140 million pledges from donor countries to initiate reintegration and reconciliation with the Taliban.

Germany also allocated EUR 20 million for reconciliation in the country, but the Taliban’s leadership council rejected the offer by issuing a statement:

“The defeated invaders should know that their ploys and wiles would not have any achievement to deceive the freedom-loving people of Afghanistan. The invaders have no option but to put an end to the occupation of our country and soil.”

Instead, the Taliban called on Americans to release Taliban prisoners and remove their names from the UN blacklist as a first step for reconciliation.

Washington believes that Marjah operations are necessary to put pressure on the Taliban to come to the table of negotiation and to boost the American position in negotiations.

Some observers believe that the US wants to install some surveillance equipment in Marjah to monitor Iran’s uranium enrichment program. After the failure of the recent efforts by Washington to dissuade Tehran from following its uranium enrichment program, the White House is considering a new package of restrictions on Iran.

So, Washington wants, on the one hand, to put pressure on the Taliban to accept reconciliation on the government terms and, on the other hand, would like to tighten the noose around Tehran by stationing its forces closer to the Iranian border.

On February 1 this year, Afghan president Karzai met King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to request help in bringing the Taliban to dialogue. He also called on the Pakistani government to play their role as mediators between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

On the other hand, Washington now has adopted a two-pronged process: reintegration and reconciliation. By reintegration, they mean to lure away Taliban ranks by giving them cash incentives, job opportunities, and retirement bonuses. By reconciliation, they mean to start dialogue with the leadership of the Taliban.

However, the Afghan government and foreign countries, which have military presence in Afghanistan, have not agreed on a unanimous strategy for reconciliation with the Taliban.

Even, in the Kabul government, some members of the northern alliance whom hold top government positions consider Taliban as their real enemy and not Al-Qaeda. They do not want them to have a share in the government Hence, they are one of the main hurdles in the way of the negotiation with the Taliban.

Earlier, the Afghan government had nominated Arif Noorzai, former minister of tribal affairs of the Karzai cabinet, to conduct negotiation with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan, but had no pragmatic results because without the participation of the Taliban, talks with Hekmatyar will not pay off, even if an agreement is reached.

The reconciliation process should be Afghanized. The Kabul government should be empowered to take independent decision regarding reconciliation. He further says, the US, EU, and the Kabul government should work out a unanimous strategy. This will create an atmosphere of confidence for reconciliation talks to take place.

Since 2001, American and British forces have launched 15 operations in Helmand province. Previously, the Taliban were fighting like a regular army, which caused them huge casualties because of the US and the NATO aerial bombardment But, now, they have turned to guerilla tactics and are organized in small mobile decentralized groups, which ambush coalition forces repeatedly.

With this tactic, the Taliban would be able to extend the Marjah operations until next spring. Other Taliban militants from Afghan provinces, who join the Taliban groups in Marjah from time to time, will keep the momentum high enough to engage the American and British troops there.

Finally, the “together” operations will go into oblivion, like operations Khanjar (Strike of the Sword) and the Panther’s Claw launched in Helmand province in July last year.

As to reconciliation, without a unanimous strategy and confidence-building measures, the reconciliation talks will not proceed. So, before any talks to begin, both sides should create conducive atmosphere of trust and confidence. Then, they can proceed to second phase, which is negotiation for peace.

Author: Suhail Shaheen
(Source IslamOnline. Thewriter in a Former Chief Editor of the Kabul Times)