Ed Note: The article below explains how little President Trump understands about Afghanistan. Or perhaps he does understand Russia’s aspirations there and is effectively turning the “great game” back their favor. The book, The Great Game, documents the long history of Russia and England vying for control of the area – with England being defeated twice in the 1800’s after invading Afghanistan. History gives credence to the duplicity of any “binding agreement” with the Taliban or Afghan government. The Afghans have great pride and have great distrust of foreigners and Khafirs (non-believers). I suspect that the USA is turning a blind eye, is fatiguing of war and is unmindful of human rights abuses (and women’s rights). The consequences of our actions don’t bode well.
From the NYT: WASHINGTON — One day in October 1979, an American diplomat named Archer K. Blood arrived at Afghanistan’s government headquarters, summoned by the new president, whose ousted predecessor had just been smothered to death with a pillow.
While the Kabul government was a client of the Soviet Union, the new president, Hafizullah Amin, had something else in mind. “I think he wants an improvement in U.S.-Afghan relations,” Mr. Blood wrote in a cable back to Washington. It was possible, he added, that Mr. Amin wanted “a long-range hedge against over-dependence on the Soviet Union.”
Mr. Blood’s newly published cable sheds light on what really drove the Soviet Union to invade Afghanistan only two months after his meeting with Mr. Amin. Spoiler alert: It was not because of terrorism, as claimed this month by President Trump, who said the Soviets were right to invade. Among the real motivations, the cable and other documents suggest, was a fear that Afghanistan might switch loyalties to the West.
Interesting article. But the first paragraph describing Amin’s predecessor being smothered with a pillow doesn’t mention that Amin was the killer:
FROM WIKIPEDIA: Amin’s short-lived presidency was marked by controversies from beginning to end. He came to power by disposing of his predecessor Nur Muhammad Taraki and later ordering his death. Amin made attempts to win support from those who revolted against the communist regime which had begun under Taraki, but his government was unable to solve this problem. Many Afghans held Amin responsible for the regime’s harshest measures, such as ordering thousands of executions.