The Taliban, the Frankenstein created by the CIA
Despite being at war, the world forgot, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, about the war that Afghanistan was going through.
It all starts there, in a country that has been at war for decades.
When we talk about terrorist attacks and Afghanistan we think of that fateful 11/XNUMX and the unpublished images of the Twin Towers and we may think that that is the origin, but no, we have to go back in time to 1979 to know the origin of this conflict, which became the broader conflict related to the Cold War.
Although it is sometimes believed that jihadism is linked to the origins of Islam, the truth is that this violence is due to specific and punctual situations that take place in a geopolitical environment.
In 1979, the soviet union, who had great political interests in the area (such as the creation of a land corridor that would allow a large port open to the oceans), decides to invade Afghanistan to support the communists who used the country's political instability to gain control of the government. Years later, in 1986, The US, the biggest enemy of the USSR, decides to officially get involved in the conflict by helping the mujahideen; although aid to the insurgents actually began six months before the Soviet invasion when President Carter secretly authorized aid to the insurgents.
Who were these mujahideen? What is the relationship with the current jihadists called the Taliban?
The rebel forces, known at the time as the mujahideen, were the resistance to communism of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, the anti-Soviet resistance supported by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the US, especially the latter, which not only financed them, but also provided them with weapons and trained them in combat.
It was the CIA, along with the Pakistani Intelligence Service, in charge of recruiting and training jihadists in a manner encouraged by the administrations of Presidents Carter and Reagan (who spent approximately 40 billion dollars in 25 years).
One of the jihadists recruited was the Saudi millionaire Osama Bin Laden, who ended up identifying with the radical Islamists (creator of the Al Qaeda group).
It was this US support for extremist insurgents that provoked the Soviet military invasion. During the war in Afghanistan, this financial and weapons support allowed various jihadist groups such as the Al Qaeda Osama Bin Laden fight in Afghanistan and carry out terrorist attacks outside the country.
Thanks to American support, The Soviet Union was defeated in 1989 Although, despite their withdrawal and the victory of the insurgent side, the war did not end.
Increase in Mujahideen
After the withdrawal of the USSR there was a rise of the mujahideen which caused a second generation of these, called this time as taliban.
The Taliban They emerged to combat foreign corruption and improve the country's security without the need for Western support with the aim of restore an Islamic government.
It should be remembered that almost the vast majority of militants of this Taliban movement were originally members of the anti-soviet resistance, that is, members of the mujahideen movement.
This means that the United States is indirectly the creator of this group of Taliban jihadists by having given economic and arms support to their predecessors, the mujahideen.
View: Origin of the Taliban movement
The United States was passive in the face of the repressive government (also noted for the suppression of rights, sexism and poor and mediocre treatment of women who were forced to wear the burka to avoid corruption by men and were prohibited from education) created by this Taliban movement.
However, he left his passivity aside after the 11/XNUMX attacks for allowing this Taliban government to give refuge to Bin Laden, leader of the terrorist group Al Qaeda that financed the Taliban movement.
Since then, the United States has been involved in the longest conflict in its history, so we can venture to say that the best way, and possibly the only way, to end this war is not by destroying the insurgents, these Taliban, but through a peace agreement.
Peace Agreement
An agreement that, after 19 years of conflict and long periods of talks, It was signed in February 2020. It represented a historic agreement between the US and the Taliban, by which they committed to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan..
However, hardly four days later of the agreement, The US bombs the Taliban in defense of an Afghan barracks attacked by them. Despite this, the Taliban continue to insist that the US comply with the agreement to reach a peace that ends decades of war.
View: Afghanistan: Fears political divides may thwart peace deal y The US signs an agreement with the Taliban to remove its troops from Afghanistan within 14 months
Although it is currently considered that it is the West that is fighting against jihadism (although sometimes it is not known if it is really fighting or covering up its financing for other interests) it is worth noting that currently it is China who is truly interested in mitigating terrorist attacks and put an end to its perpetrators.
Economic Interests
This is due, like everything in life, to its Economic interests, specifically, to the New Silk Road and the creation of new infrastructure in 152 countries with corridors through Afghanistan.
With this New Silk Road China would gain greater influence in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, so it is in its interest to avoid anything that would cause it problems and inconveniences, such as the Taliban and their attacks.
This is why China is so involved in the fight against jihadism in the areas where it intends to have this New Route pass.
If we refer to what was previously mentioned, this desire to China in the fight against terrorism could lead to a unrest in the US and pose a problem for this North American country.
If China succeeds in eradicating jihadist attacks and gains great influence thanks to the New Silk Road, the Asian country would become a major power in the market, which would mean greater competition for the United States.
Would the US government be involved in financing and secretly supporting these terrorists with the aim of hindering the development of this project through terrorist attacks, preventing China from gaining greater influence and thus the US continuing to be the greatest power in the market?
With everything said and explained throughout the article, we can only remember that sometimes it is the sheep itself who opens the door to the wolf.
Graduated in Law and internationalist from Loyola University. Export manager at RRYP Global – Reáculoateypunto. In my free time I dedicate myself to debating, learning history and getting to know the world, its cultures and its languages. I speak French and English and have a slight knowledge of Chinese, Greek and Wolof.
