Following Thursday’s announcement that the US will comply with Afghanistan’s Ramadan ceasefire, which covers the Taliban and will last until June 20, the Pentagon now says they intend to step up offensives against ISIS in Afghanistan.
This announcement is perhaps unsurprising, as the US has not committed itself to a peace process in Afghanistan, and has been steadily escalating its military forces in the country. ISIS remains a convenient alternative target while the Taliban is off-limits.
While this opens up a lot more US troops to carry out strikes against ISIS, what it will accomplish remains to be seen. The US and Afghan governments have both claimed to have wiped ISIS out in Nangarhar repeatedly, only for the group to reemerge, seemingly unharmed.
The size of the ISIS force in Afghanistan also isn’t entirely certain, as estimates often downplay the group’s numbers, and casualties inflicted on the group tend to be overstated. This has often meant offensives against them are very recklessly broad, hitting the general region, but not necessarily hitting the group specifically.
The “long war” in Afghanistan is endless because its supporters have no reason to quit.
>The US invaded and occupied Afghanistan because of its key geographic position relative to the US “New Silk Road” strategy and natural resources in the area. There would have to be some freedom and democracy in Kabul (as there was previously in Baghdad) for the Afghan government to force the US out, but President Ghani is a US puppet. We can only hope that Karzai returns.
>Pakistan is offended by the US-sponsored presence of Pakistan enemy India, with its financial support and infrastructure-building, in Afghanistan on Pakistan’s western border. Pakistan doesn’t want to become an Indian sandwich. General McChrystal highlighted this problem in his 2009 assessment, which was followed three months later by Obama’s declaration that Pakistan was a US ally. Stupid. Pakistan will support the Taliban forever.
>Similarly, Iran supports the Taliban in the west, where the provincial capital Farah was recently taken, because Iran doesn’t want US bases on its eastern border. Sure the Taliban is Sunni and Iran Shia, but the enemy of my greatest enemy is my friend in this case.
Oh right, like the US eliminated ISIS from Syria — not.
In fact ISIS has been injected into Afghanistan with US and Saudi support just as in Iraq and Syria.
Us military vows to “endeavor to persevere”