The Taliban may not let the US-led coalition forces abandon Afghanistan

The weary and under confident Afghan security forces may not be able to tackle a Taliban onslaught

On 13 September 2011 the insurgents carried out a terrorist attack in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. The target area was the US Embassy, NATO Headquarters and some other government buildings. About 11 suicide attackers kept the NATO backed security forces engaged for 20 hours before being killed. By then they had killed 27 persons, including 11 civilians and 5 policemen, apart from injuring many embassy staff. The Taliban have claimed the responsibility of this attack.

The timings of this attack are worth noting. The US and NATO are planning their withdrawal from Afghanistan. The US has already called back first contingent of their forces and remaining will be evacuated by the year 2014. Similar is the stance of other allies. The coalition has already begun handing over the responsibility of security in few selected areas to Afghan forces. The recent attack seems to be a message by the Taliban that they are a force to reckon with and no peace formula in Afghanistan will be workable without their active participation and consent.

Also Read Why Will The Taliban not Surrender to US and their Allies

The US high-ups have been predicting a surge in terrorist attacks during this summer. The current year has seen one of the highest casualties suffered by the coalition forces in Afghanistan. Although the weather is turning cold now but there is no let up in the offensive launched by the Taliban. The Afghan security forces seem to be ill equipped and incapable to tackle this situation by them self. If this is the situation now then one can imagine the state of affairs after the coalition forces make their exit.

It is obvious that the Taliban and their allied groups are planning that the US and other coalition forces should not leave Afghanistan. They want that the coalition forces remain entangled in a long, protracted war with no end in sight, so that the Taliban can cause a continuous attrition onto the foreign troops. It was stated by the Taliban and probably by Al Qaeda also at the start of the Afghan war in 2001 that Afghanistan will prove to be another Vietnam for the US and will become a graveyard for the foreign troops.

At the time of Vietnam War the US was an emerging leader of the world with fast-developing economy and huge military might, only to be challenged by the USSR. This was the reason that the US survived the setback suffered in Vietnam. Now the situation is totally different. The US economy has been harshly wrecked by the ongoing war on terror and the country is facing a serious challenge from the emerging centers of economic power in the world. Any other setback or a prolonged attrition caused to the US in Afghanistan will prove to be the last straw on the camel back. How the US leadership tackles this quagmire will be a test of their abilities.

Also Read What we have Gained or Lost after Fighting War on Terror for nine Years.