Strategy to Control Taliban

After  the withdrawal of US and international troops on August 31, 2021, the question of Afghanistan’s future stability and prospects for the stalled peace process have risen.

In practical terms, the Taliban is now dominant across Afghanistan. Many Indians forget that their country commands much soft power in Afghanistan. Afghans who do not support the Taliban have always looked up to India as a role model for their country. So, support for democratic government of Afghanistan would strengthen Indian’s appeal among millions of Afghans.

India could consider supporting Ahmad Massoud because in a clan-based traditional society, Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front (NRF) led by Ahmad Massoud has emerged as the strongest anti-Taliban leader.

The day Ghani fled the country. Since then, he has put up a war against the Taliban and is now leading a guerilla force in Panjshir Valley. Massoud has called for a national uprising against the Taliban and is emerging as Afghanistan’s best hope to take on Taliban.

The Taliban have won many battles so far, but they have yet to fight and win the war and take over full Afghanistan. Ethnic groups like the Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Hazaras and others are bound to rally against their harsh authorities. Many Pashtuns will join them. Massoud needs backing from powers like Britain, India and USA to carry out the battle against the Taliban and its intolerant regime. Otherwise this intolerant regime will become unstoppable in exporting terror to the rest of the world again.

The Taliban have been nourished by Pakistan . Ever since its birth in 1947, Pakistan has planned strategic depth against India. India’s population, manufacturing capability and economy dwarf Pakistan’s. Therefore they have always sought strategic depth by controlling Afghanistan.

In the past, the Taliban have acted as auxiliaries to the Pakistani army and carried out several operations against India. The actions of Taliban and other jihadi fighters have given Islamabad plausible deniability in its war of terror against India.

Of all the world powers, India will suffer the most from the Taliban’s terror exports. Islamabad will guide the Taliban against India to preserve Pakistan. Just as India once backed Bangladeshis, they must now assist Afghans fighting the Taliban.

The other way to weaken the Taliban’s dominance in Afghanistan is by keeping them non-settled. The strength of Taliban fighters is approximately 70,000-80,000 and all of them are blarney fighters who only know how to kill innocent people. At some point whatever money they have it will come to an end and that will be the point they start getting weaker because when hunger hits anyone, it ruins mind and body.

Just like Quadrilateral Security Dialogue which is between United States, India, Japan and Australia to maintain relation between member countries, India should initiate a strategic movement with the countries around the world to take hard step against the Taliban.  This Taliban knows that the world will not listen to them if they spread violence across the country so they are maintaining diplomacy. By making a security dialogue and strategic movement with the alliance of different countries, it will be easy to rebuke Taliban diplomatically.