A Graveyard of Civilisations

There is something about Afghanistan and the Afghans. It’s been a place of strategic interest for many. A conflict prone zone for many a centuries. Life is not easy here for all. Terrain too makes it harsh and uneasy. The weather tops everything.

Alexander the Great after conquering more than half the world, was shot in the heal, supposedly in Afghanistan by an Afghan. This led to ultimately his untimely death. Bringing down a great civilization, mid way. Similarly Jenghis Khan of Mongolia lost his empire here in Afghanistan. But not before leaving behind the Hazara community. This community still bears resemblance to the Mongols.

The early part of the 20th century saw the routing of the British Army at the hands of the Afghans. On a single day they slaughtered many thousands of their troops baring one man. This man was sparred so that he could narrate the war tales back home (INDIA). At this juncture the British were pushed deep into what is now Pakistan. Perhaps the Afghans never capitalized on that to capture more territory. They made a mistake of not extending their land till the Arabian Sea also. Had the reverse happened, Afghanistan would certainly have been a different place. Its land locked status would have been reversed.

But any how the period following from early twentieth century till 1978 was a period of peace and little progress. Afghanistan did not develop that much, it could have. It remained an isolated nation from the rest of the world. Again due to its strategic location, it was very vulnerable to be attacked

The Soviet Invasion of 1978 was the result. Later it was a huge sore for the Soviets of the era. They had perhaps discovered the mineral wealth that US has now discovered! Afghans fought tooth & nail with the Soviets. On a given day in Herat the Afghans fought with sickles, knives and farm equipments. As a result the Soviets were slaughtered and reduced to a minimum. But after a few days the rebellion was crushed by the Soviets.

All over Afghanistan we can see the remnants of the Soviet era. Tanks, jeeps and other military equipment lie scattered all across mountains and alongside roads. As we all know the USSR exited Afghanistan shortly before it got disintegrated. Afghan Invasion and the Chernobyl disaster were the trigger points for its disintegration. But what happened thereafter we all know.

The American support of the Afghan freedom effort sees the repercussions till date. Many jihadis and mujahideens of the past, are giving sleepless nights to the Americans now. It is amazing to note how the NATO contractors charge the US government protection money. The same is part of their contract for safe transporting of NATO supplies. It could be anybody’s guess to whom this money is finally paid to, by the Contractors. It is all their creation much like the Bhindranwala in Punjab (India) and Prabhakaran in Sri Lanka. India had to pay with the lives of two of its Prime Ministers.

Having said all this I do not know what the future holds for Afghanistan. But solutions need to be found as early as possible. US cannot let another Vietnam in the making for itself. Afghanistan (Central Asia) holds the key to the future of UNCLE SAM.

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