The truth on Afghanistan
- Category: Articles
- Written by Osservatorio Afghanistan
- Published: Tuesday, 29 March 2016
Source: Osservatorio Afghanistan, October 20th 2015
Mr Ubaid Ahmad Kabir, spokesman of Hambastagi (Solidarity Party of Afghanistan), was in Italy from October 22th to November 4th , 2015, on his mission to meet European politicians. He had been invited by CISDA ngo (Italian Cooperation supporting Afghan women).
In Italy, Mr Ubaid Ahmad Kabir met the Italian senator Mister Cociancich from the “Partito Democratico” (Democratic party), Mr Ezio Locatelli, former Italian deputy and member of “Rifondazione Comunista” (Communist Refoundation Party), the Italian deputies Mr Scotto and Nichi Vendola from “Sinistra Ecologia e Libertà” (Left, Ecology and Freedom) .
This is the document that Mr Ubaid Ahmad Kabir gave to the Italian politicians he met.
THE TRUTH ON AFGHANISTAN
1. The USA/NATO military intervention has made fundamentalists stronger
After the attack on Twin Towers of World Trade Center, most of the world powers led by US and NATO member countries turned towards the world’s most poor and forgotten country called Afghanistan. They invaded Afghanistan in the name of “Enduring Freedom”, “Liberation of Women” and “War Against Terror”, but despite an approximate number of 250,000 people killed1 in Afghanistan and tens of billions of dollars cascaded into the country, Afghans are suffering from the same previous miseries.
In 2001, the US and UK governments used the brutal warlords of Northern Alliance as their foot soldiers against Taliban. And during this process, they financed and armed2 war criminals like Qasim Fahim, Atta Mohammad Noor and Abdul Rashid Dostum to fight Taliban, but both parties were sharing the similar nature crimes against civilians. Human Rights Watch clearly mentioned the names of Fahim and Dostum as war criminals in their report, Blood-stained Hands.3 Fahim held the post of Defense Minister and later Vice President. Dostum was Chief of Army and now holds the post of Vice President of the country. On March 3, 2015, Human Right Watch released a detailed report4 on warlord holding prominent positions in the Afghan government have thousands of militia used to sustain their power and continue with other illegal acts such as drug trafficking, kidnapping and land grabbing. Noor, Governor of Balk, is one of them. In presence of US and Nato forces, tens of Northern Alliance warlords have been empowered to live on the bruised shoulders of Afghan people.
2. The USA/NATO military intervention has brought about war crimes
US/Nato air strike killed more than 300 and wounded 600 civilians in Shah Shahid, Kabul. iii- 28 October 2001: Children killed in US B52 bombers air strikes in surrounding villages of Kabul city. iv- 22 August 2008: Children killed in US/Nato air strikes in Shindand, Herat – Afghanistan. And many more… The Amnesty International report, Left in the Dark, revealed the failures of accountability for civilian casualties caused by international military operations in Afghanistan. 5
3. The Afghan government is involved in drug trafficking
Although apparently a dedicated administration to fight drug production, Ministry of Counter Narcotics was established by Afghan Govt. but according to UNODC report,6 Afghanistan broke its 2013 record of being the biggest producer of opium in world. Reports7 from western media and leaked documents of US Cables by WikiLeaks indicates that high officials of the country such Qasim Fahim, Gen. Daud Daud (Former Counter-Narcotics Deputy Minster killed during a suicide bombing)8 and Wali Karzai (brother of Hamid Karzai, ex-president of Afghanistan) are involved in drug trafficking, and it is one of the main income source for Taliban as well.
4. Due to fundamentalism and corruption, women and children have very limited access to education and health care in Afghanistan
Alike every conflict, women and children are the very first victims. Despite the slogan of “Liberation of Women” chanted by US Govt. to invade Afghanistan, but Afghan women and girls are still many plights. They have limited access to education and health. Women and girls, victims of rape, are forced to marry their rapists.9 Farkhund, 27, Afghan girl was lynched by a mob in daylight in Kabul city’s center for the false accusation of burning Koran.10 Amnesty International’s 1st October 2015 report revealed horrifying crimes against women during their assault on Kunduz city.11 And many other difficulties.
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) went looking for the $210 million worth of clinics, the majority of them weren’t there.12 The GPS coordinates provided by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) showed comic results: 13 health centers were not located in Afghanistan (6 in Pakistan; 6 in Tajikistan and 1 in middle of Mediterranean Sea); in 13 cases, two health centers had same location; 150 GPS coordinates shows no building; and 90 health centers had no coordinates. SIGAR also reported of the “Ghost Schools” in Afghanistan, where “Afghan Ministry of Education – MoE officials had repeatedly been profiting off of aids for the schools that actually didn’t exist in the country. The report stated that the donors had been provided with fraudulent data and statistics of schools.” 13
5. International cooperation and aids have not improved Afghan economy and have not done durable public infrastructure
No infrastructural work has been done to assist the poor economy of the country. Although, Afghanistan has many fast flowing rivers which can be easily optimized to build hydroelectric dams, but the main source of electricity is imported from Uzbekistan, which results in tens of millions of dollars leaving Afghanistan to be paid for the imported electricity. In an unofficial chat with some university students, ex-president Karzai showed his concern over the imported electricity and his international allies didn’t allow him to build hydroelectric dams in the country.
6. Talibans, ISIS-Daesh and Afghan Local Police are committing crimes against Afghan civilians
The recent Afghan Govt. report shows that Taliban and ISIS have strong military presence in 25 provinces of the country out of 34. Crimes against Afghan civilians are committed both by Taliban and ISIS militants and Afghan militias, officially known as Afghan Local Police, who are funded, armed and trained by US forces.
7. Italian armed forces have links with Afghan fundamentalist warlords
The Afghan people have same perception of Italian military as of US and they consider them as a tool to act according to US agenda and policies. The Italian forces have close links with one of the most brutal and extremist Afghan warlords named Ismail Khan based in Herat. The recent detailed report by RAWA shows the embezzlement of money by Fawzia Koofi, a female MP supported by warlords, from Italian Cooperation’s funds for reconstruction and urgent aid projects in her birthplace province, Badakhshan. 14
Currently, Afghan civilians are suffering from all three sides: i- US and Nato forces and government of neighboring countries like Pakistan and Iran; ii- corrupt Afghan government and warlords; iii- Taliban and ISIS militants.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT
Due to the facts mentioned above, which are only some examples of the very bad situation of Afghanistan, the Solidarity Party of Afghanistan (Hambastagi) strongly recommend the Italian government to take action and make the following:
1. TO STOP THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF AFGHANISTAN, that has made the war criminals richer and legitimated them;
2. TO SET UP AN INTERNATIONAL COURT TO TRY WAR CRIMINALS, in order to bring justice in the country;
3. TO STOP FINANCING THOSE WHO ARE LINKED TO THE WARLORDS, BOTH IN THE GOVERNMENT AND OUT OF THE GOVERNMENT, as the warlords are using that money to pay their irregular troops and to perpetrate brutalities and abuses on civilians;
4. TO GET IN TOUCH WITH, AND TO SUPPORT, AFGHAN DEMOCRATIC GRASSROOT MOVEMENTS AND PARTIES – SUCH AS HAMBASTAGI -, instead of the members of this government, that is clearly corrupted and unskilled.
Kabul, October 20th 2015
