Geopolitics

Afghan National Army or Afghan National Authority? Why and What Happened?
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Issue Net Edition | Date : 16 Apr , 2022

Photo by Farhad, Jawzjan Province, Afghanistan, 2014

Internal Disruptions of the Afghan National Army

Despite the unfounded confidence of the majority of Afghanistan people in the capabilities of the Afghan National Army, the collapse and what happened in this country have been catastrophic and tragic in every way.

Ashraf Ghani can be considered one of the weakening factors of the Afghan National Army in history.

The failure of the Afghan National Army was one of the bitter memoirs in all Afghans’ minds to record in the black history of Afghanistan that will never be forgotten. Here we can not only call as baseless the trust of the Afghan people, national and international institutions in the capabilities of the national army unreasonable and ridiculous.

However, in the collapse of the Afghan army, various aspects and factors can be found, such as the internal problems of the army, inconsistencies with other Afghanistan security organs, unhealthy tensions and rivalries, lack of financial support and weapons from senior army officials and finally, Ashraf Ghani can be considered one of the weakening factors of the Afghan National Army in history.

Joe Biden’s Superficial Analysis and Response from the Afghan National Army

Almost nine months before today, following successive victories by Taliban forces, they took control of large parts of Afghanistan. In those days, a journalist asked US President Joe Biden at a press conference, “Can the Taliban take over Afghanistan? If so, what will happen in that country?” Biden confidently and politely replied to the journalist, “No!” “Why?” The journalist asked.

Biden’s superficial response to the journalist was as follows: “Afghanistan currently has 300,000 trained soldiers, and these soldiers, like the armies of other countries, are equipped with all the military facilities and combat equipment. in addition to the fact that the Afghanistan army currently has an air force, while the number of Taliban fighters is about 75,000, not more than that”.

So there is also the point that the figure of 75,000 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan was an imaginary figure by Mr. Biden.

The Afghan army needed a government and commanders who did not demoralize the army instead of upgrading it.

Therefore, Joe Biden added that the Taliban could not match this fairly well trained and well equipped army, and they would not win in Afghanistan. “I am confident in the capabilities of the Afghan National Army,” he said. “Because the Afghan Armed Forces, also highly trained and equipped with the best weapons, are very efficient and skilled on the battlefield.”

However, Biden’s responses on a shaky and dependent army, were superficial, unprofessional, or deceptive, as can be assessed. Therefore, what as emerged is that the Afghan National Army was neither so powerful nor that formidable as a fighting force.

The Afghan army needed a government and commanders who did not demoralize the army instead of upgrading it. And this army was not stabbed from the back in a disgraceful deal, but unfortunately it was stabbed in the back.

The Weakening of Army from within Army

Despite all these allegations, a few weeks after the remarks, Kabul fell to Taliban fighters, who were few in number and lacked effective combat skills and military equipment. As a result, Afghanistan plummeted so fast that the world was stunned.

Therefore, as a soldier of the Afghan National Army, I consider it a miscalculation and political deal by those who sought to defeat and weaken the Afghan National Army within the army, within the system, and within a tribal government in Afghanistan. Therefore, factors of the army’s internal defeat are more important than external factors, such as operational inconsistencies, intelligence inconsistencies, unnecessary competition, ethnic discrimination, and other factors that can be considered as the causes of the failure and collapse of the Afghan national army.

It was a nightmare for the people of Afghanistan that many people had trusted the army.

And in addition, the senior fascist and fanatical commanders who are not and have not been hidden people in the Afghanistan systems. Let us also not forget that US political dealings with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, could have been another factor in the collapse of the Afghan National Army.

From the Wishes to Disappointments

Despite the betrayal and unreasonable trust of the United States in the Afghan army’s capabilities, what happened in this country was catastrophic and tragic in every way. It was also a nightmare for the people of Afghanistan that many people had trusted the army. After 20 years of training, preparation, and arming, the successive US governments have spent about $ 100 billion on Afghanistan to build a strong army equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.

At all costs, equipment and thousands of victims over two decades in the hope of a relatively powerful army. But the army disintegrated at an astonishing rate, and in just a few days, it was defeated by an armed and irregular Taliban group of less than one-fifth of the Afghan national army.

The Afghan army was the only hope of the Afghan people amid security challenges in 2021, but this hope soon turned into despair and hopelessness for the Afghanistan people. The collapse of ANA was unimaginable for the citizens of Afghanistan and the international community, and the governments that support it.

The country handed over to a proxy puppet group fighting for Islamabad’s interests on behalf of Pakistan.

From Millions of Dollars in Cost to Collapse

Despite the slogans of the Afghan government and the majority of the Afghanistan people in favor of the national army, they have always called the army “Afghan National Army and Afghanistan National Power.”Today, all the people of Afghanistan, even the people of the world, are shocked and wonder why and what happened to this national army and national authority?

It is a question, and perhaps the answer can be found by the people in the internal and external disruptions of the army. If we consider the weaknesses and problems of the Afghan army, yes, a newly established army has many problems, even in a country where decades of civil war and terrorism have been going on.

But despite the millions of dollars spent on the Afghan national army, if it were not for internal betrayals and external terrorist elements, including Pakistan and other countries, the army would have infiltrated this country to the last drop of its blood was not a doubt.

It was a kind of internal betrayal and foreign elements against the Afghan National Army and system that ultimately killed the heroes and youth of Afghanistan in an incredible deal. The country handed over to a proxy puppet group fighting for Islamabad’s interests on behalf of Pakistan.

The question now is, what were the reasons for the sudden and rapid collapse of the Afghan national army against the Taliban fighters?

The Complex Roots in Collapse of the Army

During the fall of Kabul and the cities of Afghanistan, the biggest surprise was that not only did the Afghan National Army show no real resistance against the Taliban fighters, but some army units fled without any clashes or resistance against the Taliban. Others surrendered to the Taliban to survive, and others fled to neighboring countries such as Iran, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan with weapons and equipment in their possession. These were individuals, soldiers, and officers who could be said to have fallen victim to the deals of inefficient Afghanistan politicians.

The question now is, what were the reasons for the sudden and rapid collapse of the Afghan national army against the Taliban fighters? But I think that the causes collapse of the Afghan army may have very complex roots and require a thorough investigation by reputable national and international organizations.

The Undeniable Colonization of China in the Middle East and Afghanistan

However, no doubt achieving the general causes and factors of this collapse has required years of study and discussion. Some believe that the purpose of handing over Afghanistan to the Taliban is to pave the way for the presence of militant and terrorist groups against China and Russia in Afghanistan.

When Ashraf Ghani took over the affairs in Afghanistan, he started to divide the army.

The presence of anti-Chinese armed groups in Afghanistan will undoubtedly create an insecure environment that will prevent the realization of the China project. Ultimately benefits the United States. In particular, the United States has always viewed China as a serious threat to its interests around the world.

Eventually, Ashraf Ghani can also be considered one of the most important factors in the collapse of the Afghan National Army with his false, fanatical, and fascist slogans in Afghanistan. Because when Ashraf Ghani took over the affairs in Afghanistan, he started to divide the army.

One of Ashraf Ghani’s fanatical and fascist actions was that he retired all non-Pashtun commanders, generals, and trained officers. Instead, he appointed unprofessional and corrupt people to army posts. That was when the Afghan national army, at the hands of Ashraf Ghani, faced challenges and dire consequences in Afghanistan.

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The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Indian Defence Review.

About the Author

Asadullah Jafari “Pezhman”

is a Translator, Columnist, and a Former Member of the Afghan National Army. He Mostly Writing and Translating on Afghanistan and the Middle East Issues.

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