The collapse of the Afghan government at the hands of the Taliban gangs leading to the fall of Kabul reminded me of the fall of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, at the hands of US forces nearly 20 years ago. Both events were broadcast exclusively by the Qatari Al-Jazeera TV network, with no mention about how the channel managed to enter the presidential palace in Kabul in the presence of the Taliban fighters and also took the first footage of the US forces entering Baghdad.
Also, how Afghanistan fell in less than 10 days without actual fighting, as the Afghan army exceeded 350,000 personnel armed and trained by the American army, whose leaders earlier announced that the fall of Kabul may take at least two months.
I believe the power transition in Afghanistan was agreed upon months ago at one of the Arab capitals which has hosted the only communications office of the Taliban movement since 2006. What happened during the past few days was just a “ridiculous play” to convince the world of the fall of Afghanistan.
It may be early to explore all the dimensions of the agreement and its regional, Arab, and Islamic repercussions, but we can realize several important points:
Terrorism sponsors decided to give the kiss of life to the extreme political Islam, after its decline internationally, especially in the wake of the 30 June 2013 Revolution, which toppled the most dangerous terrorist group in the world, the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Taliban is an armed movement that was in conflict with most of the political parties and armed groups in Afghanistan. Therefore, it would have been logical to witness massacres in Afghanistan when they seized power in the country. The exact opposite of this scenario happened as if they wanted to send a message that the Taliban wanted to rule in accordance with Islamic standards that are also acceptable to the West.
Terrorism sponsors wanted to introduce a modified Islamic political system that can be applied in other countries, whether in the Arab or Islamic region.
Minutes after entering Kabul, the Taliban deliberately broadcast several messages, the most important of which were intensive guarantees to preserve human rights and freedoms, especially for women, in addition to the rotation of power principle. This model will undoubtedly earn Western and American support, and thus will ensure its survival in power.
So the target has become clear, or at least its features are visible on the horizon, which is to find a model of political Islam that is accepted in the West and can be agreed upon within the Islamic references as an alternative to the model of the Muslim Brotherhood, which failed and was popularly rejected in all countries of the Middle East.
However, this conspiratorial climate of the Western and American policies has never been a destiny that cannot be changed, but rather only attempts, whose success or failure depends on the target country and its awareness of history.
Dr. Hatem Sadek, Professor at Helwan University
