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Taliban decries fresh sanctions move : US-Russia-India counter-terrorism tie-up |
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The ruling Taliban militia of Afghanistan has threatened to shut down the office of the United Nations special mission for Afghanistan and boycott UN-sponsored peace talks if more sanctions are imposed. If the threats is carried out, indications are that the humanitarian assistance rendered by the international agencies could come to a grinding halt. The resolution co-sponsored in the UN Security Council by the US and Russia seeks 10 direct Taliban to stop training and supporting terrorism, freeze the financial assets of Osama Bin Laden and hand him over and impose an arms embargo against the Taliban and close all its offices abroad. Reacting to the resolution the Taliban called it as blatantly one sided and appealed to the other security council members to block any move to impose new sanctions. It has urged China, France and OIC and a hoist of human rights groups to come to its rescue. Taliban Foreign Minister, Vakil Ahmed Muttah Vakil has written to letter to China and France asking them to oppose sanctions.
If the resolution is passed, the efforts made by the UN envoy on Afghanistan Mr. Frances Vendrell, would come to a not. The first meeting of the new peace talks between Afghanistan and its Northern rival faction was held in Ashkabad in Turkmenistan on December 10. This was the first meeting since the two sides agreed in November to peace talks. They had signed a pledge to begin talks mediated by the UN and involving neighbouring countries such as Turkmenistan.
The United Nations has expressed serious concern about new sanctions sought by Russia and the US and its spokesman has expressed fears about a potential backlash against aid workers in the country by Afghans who are already suffering from the impact of 20 years of civil war the worst drought in decades and international isolation from existing UN sanctions. Despite such concerns the security council is likely to adopt the embargo this week, although not necessarily by a unanimous vote.
Security Council has been meticulously wooed by US along with Russia to prepare grounds for broad based action that includes negotiations. sanctions, checking drug supply and if possible an armed action but with UN sanctions. UN special envoy on Afghanistan, Frances Vendrell has already been on the job n bringing both the factions, one led by Taliban and another by Masood on the negotiating table. Vendrell is being effectively armed with UN actions. The envoy is scheduled to submit his report to the UN by February.
Fear of growing Islamic fundamentalism has brought together US, Russia and India and a collective action strategy is in the offing. During the October, visit of Russian president, Vladimir Putin to India an agreement was signed to adopt a joint strategy to combat the threat of Taliban in the region. Also, US and India have agreed to co-operate in combating international terrorism, with Taliban as the centre point. This includes the exchange of actionable intelligence along the line of control (Loc] in J&K. US has only woken up lately 10 the emerging scene of terrorism which has its genesis in Afghanistan and which has acquired global dimensions. Missiles attack on US embassies in Africa in 1998 and lately bombing assault on its destroyer Cole in Aden in Yemen is a case in point. Washington's global interests have come under direct focus of terrorism. Osama bin Laden who the US has overtly charged with masterminding terrorist activities against Americans, has acquired a notoriety of exporting terrorism, particularly to Russia and India.
The bomb blasters which wrecked Moscow in recent past and the wolf of terrorism that has penetrated deep into Chechenya have triggered off a sense of fear among Russians about is national security and potential danger to peace and order in the country. Russian's cleansing operation being carried out in Chechnya to flush out Afghanistan trained terrorists, is an indication that Moscow has risen to combat the Taliban's expansionism regime that is being pursued vehemently n order to gain hold of neighbouring areas.
Decade long spectre of terrorism in J&K with devastating fall-out on its population and security forces. is being carried by Pakistan trained foreign mercenaries. Evidence have also confirmed the close links between terrorists fighting in J&K and Taliban's sponsored terrorists camps being run inside Afghanistan. Lately, Pakistan has acquired the dubious distinction of rogue state. From the Indian perspective it is good news. These highly trained terrorists have been injected into J&K to carry out disrupting activities. Kargil misadventure by Pakistan military junta, struck a sympathetic cord along the world leaders in favour of India and a new perception dawned on them terming Pakistan as the sole originator and producer of terrorism in this pan of the world.
In this light, political observers say, India's foreign policy needs to cash in the situation and should 110t lose the initiative that fundamentalism presents to the world. For long India has fought alone now with a little help from friends that matter, things can take a positive turn. Indeed, India is no longer the dormant player in global strategic thinking. Since USSR's disintegration, Pakistan has lost much of its importance n the US strategic equation. In the given situation India has emerged as the central element in US and Russia. India's priority perception in dealing with Pakistan and Taliban. India has to keep the momentum going.
India has every reason to rejoice at the success of its initiatives to bring the USA and Russia on a common platform on the issue of countering the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. At present 95 per cent of Afghan territory is under the control of the Taliban rulers in Kabul. The Northern Alliance led by Ahmed Shah Masood is trying to desperately hold on to its last pocket of resistance. Once this too falls. the Taliban elements would be free to turn to other targets. The security implications of this will be too strong for India to ignore. A decisive victory for The fundamentalist Taliban elsewhere would mean a strengthening of the militancy in Kashmir and an added edge to want the experts call Pakistan's goal of a strategic in-depth. Therefore India attaches considerable importance to the success of the three-way understanding reached between itself and the USA on the one side and wit Russia on the other and between the USA and Russia to take on the fundamentalist Taliban regime. The new UN sanction is its most effective outcome.
The Taliban rulers and Pakistani establishments have always been working in tandem to perpetrate terrorism in the entire region. At one stage, there have been evidences of the presence of large Afghanese Taliban elements in Kashmir. Some time back there have been reports of well equipped 700 Islamic mercenaries crossing over to India through the Pir Panjal mountains to establish bases in the Kashmir valley. They were all trained in camps maintained by Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan. There were indications that outside a red Islamic forces, especially Afghans and Arabs, were wresting control of the terrorist activities in Kashmir. A large-scale induction of foreign elements into Kashmir failed entirely due to pressures on the Taliban and the Osama elements to shift their forces elsewhere. It was a time when Osama Bin Laden, though on the run due to the, US threats, was fighting on too many fronts around Afghanistan.
India does share the concerns of the both USA and Russia about the joint Taliban-Pakistan moves to export Islamic fundamentalism through terrorism. Like India, Russia has been the direct victim of Taliban terror, including retaliatory bomb blasts in Moscow. Laden has been directly supervising the supply of arms and en to the separatist Chechans in Russian territory. Russia has been forced to mobilize huge resources to counter the Taliban backed rebels whose real aim is to spread their control in a vast area beyond Afghanistan. The Taliban elements arc also busy spreading fundamentalism among the Muslim communities in the neighbouring CIS countries which otherwise have a liberal tradition. Using such elements and through threats patronage and material aid. they have been trying to win over certain CIS countries. Turkmenistan broke the CIS sanction code to supply fuel and food to the Taliban military machinery. All efforts to persuade them to stop it have failed. Russia was also forced to retaliate against Georgia for its collusion with the rebels - again for narrow gains.
Like the USA Russia also fears that if allowed unchecked the Taliban militia would be a threat to the entire region and beyond. Kabul derives much of its strength from Pakistan which provides it the military trainers, pan of the arms and the madrasa-recruited jihadis. Western estimates put the number of such madrasas at 6,500. They give free 'education with boarding in a land where many cannot afford alternatives. The Taliban and Laden have their own exclusive sources of arms supply, financed by the drug trade and Islamic donations. Pakistan facilitates both in addition to their own share of supply. The USA had tried its best to persuade The Pakistani rulers to cut off their supply links of all types to the Taliban.
Apparently. the US disillusionment with Pakistan has been the result of its own miscalculations. Both Pakistan and Kabul have deeper mutual interests and inter-dependence. Both wants the support of each other for survival. Laden symbolizes fundamentalism and this inspires influential sections in the Two countries. If Kabul cannot despise Laden US requests or Pakistani rulers cannot shut off The borders, it has been due to The hold of s destructive ideology unleashed by The madrasas over a period of lime. It has been a movement to enforce outdated Islamic norms in a crude manner on millions of men and women. BUI this does command a base fired by The religious fanatics. Such mass frenzy - Islam in danger - had got activated when The USA recently tried 10 force Pakistan from assoiling with Kabul. The Pakistani rulers 100 realized that if they disowned Laden or Kabul on US bidding, there would be a fierce fundamentalist backlash from the mullahs which they might not be able to withstand. Thus Pakistan itself had faced the threat of a Talibanisation of society. This has been an eye opener for TheUSA 100. Initially its interest was confined 10 eliminating Osama Bin Laden for his role in a series of determined attacks on The embassies and a naval vessel. Hence it tried to prop up a pliable regime in Kabul which could be used to serve its emerging geo-politic interests. But the Taliban, which itself was earlier cared and trained by TheUSA against the Soviets, became a deadly Frankenstein.
The joint strategy - by TheUSA, Russia and India -a against the Taliban and its allies has three components. First, to isolate The rulers in Kabul, denying them any outside help of any kind. This is to dry up The arms and fuel supplies. Second, 10 force Pakistan, Turkmenistan and certain Islamic regimes to keep off the Taliban elements. Third, to liberally help The Northern Alliance of Ahmed Shah Masood, The only force fighting in Afghanistan against The Taliban regime, leading to The installation of a broad based government in Kabul. Tony Black, a senior US officil specializing in The region, has been in Tashkent and around from October 5 to 10 to discuss The necessary help for the Masood forces. Encouraged by The new developments, he Northern Alliance forces have been regrouping for a renewed assault southwards some lime after The snow melts after The winter. There have been reports of Russian arms aid and training for Masood troops. The USA also seems to given such assistance in consonance with its new policy. The hopes of a successful military initiative against the anti-Kabul forces are based on the deadly effect of The UN sanction on the Taliban forces. Russia's 11 CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) allies have formed an anti-terrorist centre to coordinate actions. Apan from Russia's own renewed assault on Islamic separatisms in Chechenya, it is providing military assistance to the former Soviet Central Asian states to fight the Taliban. All this has the nod of the USA .
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