Withdrawal of US Forces from Afghanistan

US President Biden recently announced that America is to withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan. The new deadline announced by US coincides with the twentieth anniversary of 09/11 attacks.

9/11 attacks

On September 11, 2001, the terrorists of Al-Qaeda conducted a series of four attacks against the United States. The terrorists hijacked four passenger airliners. Two of the planes hit the World Trade Center Complexes located in Manhattan. Within an hour, the 110-storey tower collapsed. The third plane crashed into the Pentagon. Pentagon is the headquarters of US Department of Defence. The fourth plane crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania.

Deal Signed

In February 2020, US and its NATO allies signed a deal to withdraw all troops in fourteen months if Taliban upheld all its promises.

Impact of the withdrawal

• The peace processes in Afghanistan will hasten in its pace. Taliban had earlier announced that it will not attend any peace summit with Afghanistan till all the foreign forces leave the country. The summit is due to be held in Turkey in April 2021.
• According to some observers, the withdrawal of US troops might compromise the political, social and humanitarian gains made since 2001.
• The illicit drug trafficking in the region might increase. Afghanistan is a part of Golden Crescent.

Impact of withdrawal on India

The arrival of Taliban on the centre stage will put economic interests of India in the country of Afghanistan at stake. It will also put India under high security threat as prominence of Pakistan in Afghanistan will increase.

India-Afghanistan

• The five main pillars that drive India’s development partnership with Afghanistan are humanitarian assistance, economic development, infrastructure, connectivity and capacity building.
• India supplied 1.1 million metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan.
• India helped Afghanistan to establish the Indira Gandhi Institute of Health. It is a four hundred bed hospital that caters to the well being of children in the country.
• India is funding 116 new High Impact Community Development Projects in thirty one provinces of Afghanistan.
• The direct flight connectivity between India and Afghanistan was established in 2017. India is also developing Chabahar port to increase its connectivity with Afghanistan.
• A 218 km road from Zaranj to Delaram is to be constructed to help move goods and services to Iran border.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2021