'Poppy eradication no longer on US agenda'

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:11:22 GMT

'Poppy eradication no longer on US agenda'

The death toll among the US-led troops in Afghanistan hit a record high in July since the beginning of the Afghan war in 2001. Over 90 foreign troops including 66 American soldiers lost their lives in the war-torn country in July alone.

Despite the rising death toll, the US-led forces have failed to fight terrorism in the country, as it was declared the original purpose of the Afghan war.

The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan has also seen a dramatic increase in July, with as many as 270 civilians killed and about 560 injured in terrorist attacks, according to Afghanistan's Interior Ministry.

Dex Torricke-Barton, an international security analyst and a consultant for the United Nations, in interview with Press TV, has provided more fresh insights into the situation in Afghanistan.

Press TV: In the past months the death toll among the US-led troops in Afghanistan has soared to record highs. What are the main reasons for that?

Torricke-Barton: US losses are rising as a result of the increased number and complexity of military operations being conducted over the summer. We are seeing the US and its allies attempting to root out the Taliban in the heartlands of the insurgency, around Kandahar and Helmand province. An increase in casualties is no surprise. But it also reflects the growing strength and confidence of the Taliban.

Press TV: Is there any military solution to the Afghan crisis?

Torricke-Barton: Afghanistan needs security before peace can ever be achieved. But peace is not merely the absence of war, and I am deeply skeptical of the notion that the conflict in Afghanistan can be 'won.' We are only going to have peace through the opening of a political framework which includes people who currently oppose the government. Afghanistan has gone through three decades of fighting. There are deep wounds in society which need to be healed. The country needs to have an inclusive government of national unity, in which everyone who respects the constitution and wants to work towards solving the problems facing Afghan society is able to do so.

Press TV: Why the US has failed to win the hearts and minds of Afghans, as several polls have shown, even after nearly a decade of presence in the country?

Torricke-Barton: Winning hearts and minds is a difficult task, and requires a sophisticated strategy which addresses all the various political, economic and social priorities which are important to the population. In the case of Afghanistan, there simply wasn't that strategy from 2001. For a long time the objectives of the Afghan mission remained incoherent, which translated into a muddled plan for winning over communities, and a preoccupation with military solutions. The subsequent failure of the military campaign has made many Afghans question the purpose of the foreign intervention. Years of US-NATO operations have not yielded tangible benefits, and repeated high-profile incidents of collateral damage and human rights violations by international forces have turned people against the intervention. 75% percent of respondents to a poll last month in Kandahar and Helmand believed that foreign forces disrespected their religion and traditions. The strength of that feeling goes a long way towards explaining how far the hearts and minds strategy has missed its mark.

Press TV: Why the poppy cultivation and opium production has multiplied in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion?

Torricke-Barton: Halting opium production in Afghanistan has not been a constant priority for the West. Growing poppies is one of the few means of economic enrichment left to many desperate farmers and communities, and destroying poppy fields was creating a lot of enemies. For the last couple of years, the US has basically given up on the poppy eradication strategy, so Afghanistan is definitely going to remain the world's biggest supplier of opium.

Press TV: How the US pullout from Afghanistan could affect the situation in the war-torn country?

Torricke-Barton: It's very difficult to predict exactly what effect the US pullout will have on Afghanistan, since it depends on what effect the US surge strategy will have on the Taliban over the coming months and years. If the security situation remains substantially unchanged by the time that international forces begin withdrawing en masse, then the pullout could be immensely destabilizing for the country, with immediate political instability. Having said that, the Afghan government is seeking to pre-empt this situation by drawing members of the Taliban into early political dialogue. NATO and the US will also be engaged in the country beyond 2014, and will be maintaining some form of presence of the ground, so I think they will try to provide as much support to the Afghan government as possible, until the political process takes root.

Press TV: How the reported Afghan government corruption is damaging the country?

Torricke-Barton: Government corruption in Afghanistan is extensive. NATO estimates that over $12 billion in government funds are lost every year due to corruption. That's almost Afghanistan's entire GDP. Corruption is draining resources away from solving the country's problems, and creating resentment among the population. In some cases, funds are being channeled to the Taliban. Bribery, theft and the black market are destroying the meager gains of peace. The staggering scale of corruption in Afghanistan also makes it less likely that international donors will want to contribute further funds.

Press TV: Is Pakistan really supporting terrorism in Afghanistan as some Western countries claim and as WikiLeaks recently said by unveiling secret US military documents?

Torricke-Barton: The Pakistani government is playing a vigorous role in the fight against terrorism. Of course, there are some Pakistanis who engage in terror, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that at some point, elements of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI have been involved in supporting the Taliban. But it's important to distinguish that from government policy. Pakistan wants to see a stable and successful Afghanistan, and its military, security and political leaders are working together with the international community on a daily basis to make that happen. I think the WikiLeaks disclosures on this matter are nothing terribly revelatory, and we need to calm down a bit when interpreting the documents.