Why are Afghan soldiers so helpless in front of the Taliban?

Posted on 11th Aug 2021 by rohit kumar

The Taliban also took control of the capital of Afghanistan's strategically important Samangan province on Monday. Meanwhile, a commander backed by the government of Afghanistan also decided to go in favor of the Taliban.

 

The Taliban is growing rapidly in northern Afghanistan. It is being said that the pressure of resignation on the Ashraf Ghani government is increasing continuously.

 

US President Joe Biden has announced the withdrawal of all his troops from Afghanistan by August 31. Since then the influence of the Taliban in Afghanistan has steadily increased. So far, more than 90 percent of American soldiers have withdrawn.

 

President Biden is being criticized around the world for calling the troops. It is being said that America fought that battle for 20 years, which did not yield any result and left the Afghans in the middle.

 

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden defended the decision to withdraw his troops from Afghanistan and said that he has no regrets for it.

 

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Biden said, "I urge Afghan leaders to unite and fight for their country." America is still standing firm about its commitment. We are providing air support, paying salaries to the army, and providing food items along with equipment to the soldiers. They have to fight for themselves."

 

In the past three days, the Taliban have captured four other provincial capitals of Afghanistan. It is being said that as fast as the Taliban is growing in northern Afghanistan, it is not difficult to capture Mazar-e-Sharif.

 

Fierce fighting between Taliban and Afghan forces is going on in many important cities. After the defeat of President Ashraf Ghani in important conflicts, the pressure on him is increasing. Ministers and military commanders are constantly being changed in the Ghani government and this is seen only as an upheaval.

 

It is being said that if all the political forces in Afghanistan do not come together and come up with a war plan, then the government of Ashraf Ghani may be ousted in a few weeks. According to Tolo News, the acting Finance Minister of Afghanistan, Khalid Payinda has left the country.

 

In April this year, US President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan. Since then, the Taliban have launched attacks against the current government and army across the country.

 

However, in February 2020 in Doha, Qatar, the Taliban agreed to a peaceful solution from the Trump administration. US-trained Afghan soldiers are proving to be inferior to the Taliban.

 

Why are pro-government supporters going to the Taliban?

 

Ahmed Wali Masood, brother of well-known commander and politician Ahmed Shah Masood, who opened a front against the Soviet Union's attack in Afghanistan, has been Afghanistan's ambassador to Britain.

 

"There is no motivation among corrupt politicians and soldiers to fight for the government," he told the Wall Street Journal. They are not fighting for Ghani. They are also getting proper food. Why should they fight? For whom should you fight? They are better off with the Taliban. That's why they are changing their side.

 

The Wall Street Journal has written in its report that government control has collapsed in recent weeks, but President Ghani is making wildly optimistic statements. The report said Ghani remained busy with government meetings when the Taliban began capturing provincial capitals on Saturday.

 

The Wall Street Journal wrote in its report, "Small level commanders are surrendering to the Taliban. On Monday, former senator of Samangan and head of the Tajik Jamiat-e-Islami party Asif Azimi switched sides to the Taliban.

 

Azimi's departure from the Taliban is being seen as a major setback for the Ghani government. It is being said that the effect of changing sides of Azimi will also affect the rest. This will strengthen the argument that it is now difficult to prevent a Taliban victory.

 

The Jamiat-e-Islami, led by Ahmed Shah Masood, was a key coalition against the Taliban before the US invasion in 2001.

 

Azimi told the Wall Street Journal over the phone, "Jamiat-e-Islami was founded in the 1980s to impose Islamic rule against the Soviet-backed regime. But after the alliance with America in 2001, we deviated from this path. We want an Islamic government. This government is a puppet of America. Whoever will stand against this government, we are with him. All my support will now move on this path.

 

The Taliban is intensifying its fight every day. The Taliban have intensified attacks to control the city of Herat in western Afghanistan. The Taliban has started attacking here from three sides.

 

According to Tolo News, the Taliban have taken control of most parts of the city of Farah. Abdul Razak Ahmadi, a commander of Afghan forces in Herat, has said that there is a war-like situation here. He said the Taliban had mobilized their fighters in large numbers. Foreigners are also included in these fighters.

 

Why are Afghan soldiers so helpless?

 

There are 350,000 soldiers on paper in Afghanistan. Such a large number is enough to defeat the Taliban, but it does not seem to be happening. But it is said that only 250,000 Afghan soldiers are in service since the start of the conflict with the Taliban.

 

Most of the people have surrendered after running out of ammunition and food items. According to many reports, soldiers have been working without salary for months.

 

Biden also defended his decision in the first week of July, citing the number of Afghan troops. He said, "Another year's war in Afghanistan is not a solution. Rather, there is an excuse to continue fighting there for eternity."

 

Biden also denied that the Taliban could not be prevented from coming to power in Afghanistan. He said that 75 thousand Taliban fighters would not be able to stand in front of three lakh Afghan security forces.

 

The military that the US, along with NATO allies, has been prepared in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, is proving to be insufficient and ineffective. Afghanistan's military and air support are dependent on external contractors.

 

It is being said that this system can never be sustainable in a country like Afghanistan, where things are limited and skills are lacking. The Afghan Air Force also has weapons capable of combating the Taliban.

 

Some Afghans are also capable of flying fighter jets and helicopters, but Western contractors have left. In such difficult times, Afghan soldiers are finding themselves alone.

 

In July alone, more than a thousand Afghan soldiers fled to the neighboring country of Tajikistan. There is no enthusiasm among the soldiers because there is a lack of essentials at many levels.