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More Than Half of Afghanistan "Under Taliban" |
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Written by NotOverYet
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Tuesday, 27 November 2007 |
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truthout
By Kim Sengupta
The Independent UK
Thursday 22 November 2007
More than half of Afghanistan is back under Taliban control and the
Nato force in the country needs to be doubled in size to cope with
the resurgent group, a report by the Senlis Council think-tank says.
A study by the group found that the Taliban, enriched by illicit
profits from the country's record poppy harvest, had formed de-facto
governments in swathes of the southern Pashtun belt.
The Afghan government and its Nato allies strongly deny the Senlis
version of what is taking place in the country and say the extent of
alleged Taliban control - 54 per cent - is a major exaggeration. In
particular, British troops in Helmand have, in recent months,
recovered territory lost to the Islamist group.
But senior defence sources say that a lack of frontline combat forces
has meant that areas clawed back from the Taliban often cannot be
held and have to be retaken after costly and fierce fighting. There
is also an acknowledgement that the dangers on the ground have meant
that aid efforts are being stymied.
The Senlis Council made a name for itself by advocating that Afghan
opium, which supplies 93 per cent of the world market, should be
regulated and produced for medicinal purposes. The organisation had
been regarded in the past as very much a fringe body with unrealistic
policies.
But it has recently begun to hold seminars with influential think-
tanks such as the International institute for Strategic Studies
(IISS), which are attended by senior diplomats and military
commanders. Last month, the European Parliament passed a motion
urging the production of opium for medicine on an experimental basis
by a sizeable majority.
Yesterday's Senlis dossier coincided with an Oxfam report saying that
Afghanistan is facing a humanitarian crisis in which millions
face "severe hardship comparable with sub-Saharan Africa". It
highlights the fact that US spending on aid in the country, $4.4bn
since 2002, was only a fraction of its military expenditure of $35bn
in 2007 alone.
"As in Iraq, too much aid is absorbed by profits of companies and
subcontractors, on non-Afghan resources and on high expatriate
salaries and living costs," said the report. "Each full-time
expatriate consultant costs up to half a million dollars a year."
Meanwhile, Louise Arbour, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights, said civilian casualties caused by military action has
reached "alarming levels" this year. "These not only breach
international law but are eroding support among the Afghan community
for the government and international military presence, as well as
public support in contributing states for continued engagement in
Afghanistan," she said.
The Senlis report, while accepting that "collateral damage"' has led
to alienation among the population, maintains that the Nato force
needs to be doubled in size, from 40,000 to 80,000, and some
contributing nations should remove caveats which prevent their troops
from taking part in frontline duties. It also urged Nato to invite
Muslim countries to contribute to the Afghan force.
Norine MacDonald QC, the president of the Senlis Council, said: "The
security situation has reached crisis proportions. The insurgency now
controls vast swathes of unchallenged territory including rural
areas, border areas, some district centres, and important road
arteries.
"The disturbing conclusion is that despite a universal desire
to 'succeed' in Afghanistan, the country is in grave danger of
becoming a divided state. The Taliban are the de facto authority in
significant portions of territory in the south. Exploiting public
frustration over poverty and inflammatory US-led counter narcotics
policies, the Taliban are gaining increasing political legitimacy in
the minds of the Afghan people." |
