America has abandoned its duty to protect democracy and human rights in Afghanistan, leaving its people to face a “bloody, brutal civil war”, General David Petraeus, the former US commander in the country, has told The Times.
As the Taliban lay siege to cities that British, American and other coalition troops died and were injured defending during 20 years of fighting, the architect of counterinsurgency warfare in Afghanistan and Iraq highlighted the dangers of an Islamist takeover.
The last American soldier will leave Afghanistan by the end of this month and the fears of a Taliban takeover, voiced by Petraeus and other former western commanders, are becoming a reality. Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-biggest city, Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, and the western city of Herat are under siege. Tens of thousands of Afghans are fleeing.
“The rest of the world will see that we are not supporting democracy or maintaining the values that we promote around the world — human rights, particularly women’s rights, the right to education and freedom of speech and press — all very imperfect in Afghanistan, to be sure, but vastly better than if the Taliban reinstates a medieval Islamist regime,” Petraeus said.
“The worst-case scenario is we could see a bloody, brutal civil war similar to that of the 1990s when the Taliban prevailed,” he said. “If that were to happen we would likely see the return of an al-Qaeda sanctuary, although I don’t think AQ would be able to threaten the homeland and Europe in the near-term. And certainly, our intelligence services and military will be watching for that,” he said. “But it would be easier for AQ if the Taliban seize control. We would see millions of refugees flooding into Pakistan and other neighbouring countries. If the Taliban do take control we will see dramatic reductions in freedoms for Afghan citizens, particularly women. I don’t think this is what the world wants to see.”
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Petraeus, 68, who spent 37 years in the US army, expressed bewilderment at the way that America is ending its military involvement in Afghanistan. “If we had shown the determination and will to stay, we would have been in a much stronger negotiating position with the Taliban. But if we tell the enemy we are going to leave [which US negotiators stated in “peace” talks with the Taliban in Qatar in 2020], why would they give up anything?
“I am a little bit unclear why we didn’t think we could maintain 3,500 troops to stop the Taliban from bringing back an ultraconservative Islamist theocracy which is not in anyone’s interest.”
Petraeus added: “The war will go on and will get much worse. Ryan Crocker [US ambassador in Kabul 2011-2012] once said you can get tired of a movie and leave the theatre but the movie continues to roll on. We forced the Afghan government to release thousands of Taliban prisoners, and got little or nothing for it. But if we had 3,500 troops there to maintain situational awareness and help our Afghan partners, we would have been in a position to prevent the Taliban from bringing civil war to the country.”
Petraeus noted that President Biden had decided to keep US troops [up to 2,500] in Iraq, albeit not in a combat role. “But they can at least help the Iraqi security forces keep an eye on the insurgent and terrorist cell remnants of the Islamic State,” he said.
America has been launching airstrikes in support of Afghan forces, using armed Reaper drones that take up to eight hours to reach a target from their base in the Gulf as well as fighter aircraft from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and from the carrier USS Ronald Reagan, “parked off Pakistan” — all at huge cost.
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Petraeus said: “The US may try to continue providing air support. But, to do that, it would have been wiser to keep Bagram and Kandahar airbases. Now, we have to fly from the Gulf, we can’t fly over Iran, so we have to go over southwest Pakistan. We’re not going to get a base in Pakistan.
“What will happen next depends most importantly what the US will do to enable the Afghan air force to continue flying. The Afghan air force requires highly trained mechanics and supply chains and logistical support or they will not be operationally capable.”
Petraeus’s comments came as Taliban rockets struck the main airport in Kandahar. Taliban fighters moved into the city outskirts two weeks ago, seeking to recapture the former capital of the Islamist regime. The airport is key to government efforts to hold the city, used to launch airstrikes on insurgents in the suburbs, but is now within range of Taliban artillery. Rockets hit the runway before dawn yesterday, forcing the suspension of air traffic for hours.
Hundreds of Afghan commandos were airlifted into Herat as fighting raged in its outskirts. In Lashkar Gah, officials pleaded for reinforcements to fight a renewed Taliban onslaught. Residents trapped in both cities reported ferocious house-to-house fighting.
