Pondering the Imponderables

Afghanistan: 

In our time, political speech and writing are, largely the defense of the indefensible…George Orwell

Soliciting War:

The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was a part of a range of active measures initiated by the United States to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The 1979 Soviet invasion spurred U.S. President Jimmy Carter to issue an ultimatum on January 20, 1980 “that the U.S. would boycott the Moscow Olympics if Soviet troops did not withdraw from Afghanistan within one month.” The U.S. would be joined by a number of countries in their solidarity with Afghanistan to include: Japan, West Germany, the Philippines, Argentina and Canada. But covert measures taken against the U.S.S.R. by the U.S. had actually had begun earlier.

US strategy:

On July 3, 1979, six-months prior to the Soviet incursion, President Jimmy Carter signed a “Presidential Finding” to assist Afghanistan on the advice of his National Security Advisor, Zbignew Brzezinski. To begin, a covert supply of arms was to be followed by actionable intelligence from the CIA, the recruitment and deployment of Jihadists from Middle East countries to fight alongside the Mujahideen, and other of variable-aid supported by U.S. financial, media, and diplomatic initiatives. The Carter Administration would see to it that Moscow was aware of this so-called ‘top-secret aid’.  The motive-force behind Brzezinski’s “Presidential Finding” recommendation was calculated to draw or induce Moscow’s invasion  of Afghanistan into what he termed the “Afghan Trap”, i.e., Soviet treaty obligations to assist in the defense of the faltering Afghan Communist regime in Kabul, actions  calculated or taken to thereby hasten or expedite Moscow’s economic demise through massive cash outlays and aid associated with waging a costly Afghanistan war, actions that would also assure negative publicity and or international embarrassment, or to put it succinctly as quoted from Carter’s National Security Advisor Zbignew Brzezinski’s press accounts, “giving them their own Vietnam”. (2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 11)

But who could have imagined that some thirty-one years later that the U.S. and Russia, as allies, would have joined forces to devastate Afghanistan?  Presently, the U.S. and Russia are engaged in bombing Afghanistan and troops from both countries are actively fighting alongside the Northern Alliance against the Taliban. (8, 9, 11)

Violation of International Law:

While Russia, in violation of international law, has disguised its troops fighting in support of the Northern Alliance. Originating from the 201^st Division based in Tajikistan, Russian soldiers are outfitted in an identical uniform/attire to that of the Northern Alliance while their aircraft presently conduct bombing missions against fixed Taliban positions operating from unmarked aircraft… again in support of the Northern Alliance, there can be no doubt therefore of their active and direct combat (force multiplier) support role for the Northern Alliance. (1, 8, 9, 11)

Casus Belli:

In a parochial twist of irony, the U.S. justification for waging war in Afghanistan against those it supported during the Cold War was to eradicate alleged al-Qaeda training facilities and to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, the West’s alleged mastermind behind 9/11. Russia, for its part, cites the existence of Chechen terrorists among the ranks of the Taliban and a latent fear that Taliban-style fundamentalism will be exported to effect separatist movements in the Central Asian Republics. Both have gratuitously played the fraudulent “international terrorist” card or label as open-license for unending war.

This day, however, it is common knowledge and or conventional wisdom that cited justifications were, and are… fabrications, premeditated disinformation, innuendo and parochial propaganda made possible by a compliant media.  The alleged al-Qaeda training camps were discovered to be the camps of those resisting the U.S.-led invasion and occupation. Many observers find the allegation that Osama bin Laden masterminded the 9/11 attacks to be both unsubstantiated and ludicrous, and that it is currently common knowledge that the U.S. squandered a number of opportunities to capture Osama bin Laden as he lay prostrate in a hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan and while there visited by a number of CIA officers on numerous occasions. Though unreported by the mainstream media, in addition, Taliban made numerous attempts to remand Osama bin Laden to U.S officials in Pakistan but were dismissed at each and every turn. (8)

To keep critics, authors and journalists at bay and under government surveillance, of late Global Research has reported that the CIA has inked a multi-million dollar agreement with Amazon.com to gain access to their voluminous customer based records and the potential for censorship of articles and books critical of current foreign policy practices.

Russia’s stated justifications were also found lacking in substance, historical context and thus corroboration as well. History affirms Russia’s brutal colonization policies in Muslim Central Asia which represent but a mirror-image of their past and current position and policies on Afghanistan. (1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11)

Additionally, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Niaz Naik, American officials warned during the summer of 2001 that “we will attack Afghanistan before the snow flies in October,” months prior to 9/11!

Blood for Oil:

February 2001: When a Taliban emissary arrived in Washington with presents for the new Chief Executive… The talks were less than…cordial, and at one point during the deliberations a U.S. Representative told Sayed Hashemi, Taliban emissary, “either you accept our carpet of gold or we will bury you under a carpet of bombs.” The threat was issued to resuscitate and secure failing negotiations mandating that an American concern (UNOCAL) be successful in winning the contract for the proposed Trans-Afghan (TAP) Pipeline, (2,4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) a multi-trillion dollar construction project.

Over time, U.S. rational for attacking Afghanistan has been thoroughly discredited by a variety of academics, authors, human rights activists, investigative journalists, and the memoirs of retired intelligence (CIA) personnel. The adage, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ has therefore become U.S./Russia policy in Afghanistan. Russia is the Taliban’s enemy and presently America’s friend in what can only be construed as a convoluted reversal of logic and a warped twist of irony and betrayal. For Russia and their new-found allies, the Northern Alliance, America as an enemy of the Taliban has emerged as a new-found friend.

Veteran combat journalists Robert Pelton and Carlotta Gall, both with extensive Afghanistan and Chechnya experience ventured to Afghanistan in search of Chechen fighters and came away empty handed.  Regarding U.S. and Russian claims of Afghanistan being the “hub of international terrorism,” David Koltz, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst had this to say:

There are reasons to be wary of the newly developed relationship between the Putin and Obama Administrations and the tactical importance of Russia’s help for the administration’s war in Afghanistan has led Obama to soft-peddle any criticism of the brutal Russian military tactics in Chechnya. This reinforces in presence that American criticism of “evil” in the world depends strongly on context…that is, or whether the perpetrator is a government that the U.S. desires to befriend or to oppose. Even worse, implicit American acceptance of Russia’s brutality in Muslim Chechnya lends support to the charge that the U.S. is leading a war against Islam. (3, 11)

This acceptance of Russia’s stance regards Chechnya by the Obama Administration has led to a trade-off, with Russia to actively deploy its military in cadence with and support of U.S. anti-Taliban operations in Afghanistan and consigning a multi-billion arms deal underwritten by both the U.K. and the U.S. to the Northern Alliance in exchange for America’s posting of Chechen Resistance members to their list of terrorists and blocking foreign aid. (4, 9, 11)

Much of the intelligence citing the presence of Chechen fighters is based on statements by Northern Alliance commanders who obviously benefit from increased military pressure on the Taliban by combined U.S. and Russian forces. Muhammad Qasim Fahim, for example, regularly comments on the existence of Chechens in the ranks of the Taliban. (5)

While overlooked by most Americans, the continual bloodshed in Afghanistan and Chechnya is widely followed in the Muslim World.   The present lack of concern on the part of the U.S. and Russia for the plight of the Muslims in Afghanistan and Chechnya feed into claims that America and Russia are engaged in a joint crusade against Muslims. Additionally, it has been universally accepted that behind a U.S. security strategy, lays secret plans (BSA) to continue the occupation of Afghanistan in order to widen and maintain a security cordon with proximity to Russia, China, and the Central Asian States. (11)

December 2011, marks the 10-year anniversary of the massacre of four or more thousands of Taliban prisoners in Dasht-i-Leili by Rashid Dostum’s Uzbek militia. To mark the event, Physicians for Human Rights have petitioned President Obama to investigate this atrocity. Two years ago, President Obama pledged to “collect the facts and make a decision as to how to approach it” yet no investigation thus far has been forthcoming. Dostum, it must be understood, is an ally in the U.S.-led war against the Taliban… and, as have so many other facilitators who have gone before, all members of the Northern Alliance collaborative-collective have been prior-immunized against prosecution for war crimes. (4, 6, 8, 9, 11)

This day, we note that the U.S. underwrites genocide in many countries to include both Chechnya and Afghanistan based on fabrications and blatant propaganda, and have joined forces with the Northern Alliance, an assortment of war criminals, pro-Russian and U.S. collaborators (Ghani, Abdullah Abdullah) recently selected by the U.S. to occupy the highest government-portfolios in the land. Additionally, notorious drug traffickers are also at present being groomed by the U.S. as heir-apparent to occupy many of high-ranking, authoritative government posts. (See: Historic, incriminating Cold War documentation as referenced in the “Notes” Section below. 8, 9, 11)

As they prosecute their so-called “war on terror” they have committed “crimes against peace,” are cited for using weapons of mass destruction such as white phosphorous, unmanned drones, depleted uranium and conducting massive air bombardment proximate to densely populated areas, all serious breaches and or excesses in violation of numerous international statutes, conventions and treaties advocating for human rights. The presence of disguised Russian military forces in the Northern Alliance ranks is also in violation of international law as well.  In short, the combined U.S./Russia assault on the tiny Afghan and Chechen populations are a decided moral and unlawful abomination.  Those whom America once supported against Soviet aggression are today… the victims of joint U.S. and Russian aggression. (7, 8, 9, 11)

Notes:

• ‘Shattering the al-Qaeda Myth’, (part 1), Chechnya Weekly, 4.35, Jamestown Foundation Monitor, 2/10/03
• ‘Western Leaders Re-Evaluate Their Stance on the Chechen War’, Jamestown Foundation Monitor, 10/27/01
• ‘Putin and Bush Below the Surface’, Institute for Public Accuracy, 11/13/01
• Communications by Members of the Afghan Diaspora about Events in Afghanistan to US Leaders, the UN and World Leaders September 21, 1979-October 7, 2013, Dr. M. Siddieq Noorzoy, 2013
• ‘America’s Hunt for Chechens in Afghanistan’, AFP, Chris Otton, 3/22/11
• ‘Restrain the Northern Alliance’, The World at War, Frederick Starr, 10/24/01
• Afghanistan, a Search for Truth, Bruce G. Richardson, 2009
• Afghanistan, Political Frailty and External Interference, Dr. Nabi Misdaq, 2006
• Main Intelligence Directorate (MID) of the General Headquarters, USSR Armed Forces. Title: The Lion of the Panjsher, Article no. 18, (No. 882/83-3-S-77, Fond 80, Perechen 14, Document 77). Translation of excerpts by Elena Kretova, Information Services, Moscow.
• Forbidden Truth, U.S.-Taliban Secret Oil Diplomacy and the Failed Hunt for Bin Laden, Jean Charles Brisard and Guillame Basque, 2002
• Dirty Wars, the World is a Battlefield, Jeremy Scahill, 2013

Bruce G. Richardson

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