ClearanceJobs contributor Jason Criss Howk had the honor of interviewing General Mohammad Yasin Zia, Acting Minister of Defense. After the interview, General Zia penned some commentary on the current state security in Afghanistan and the confusion that many outside of the country have about recent activities.
The Taliban have not taken control of a single district and maintained their presence in it over the past two years. Yet, some perceive that the Taliban have gained territory over the past year or two. Why does this false belief persist?
First, in order to demonstrate our commitment to the ongoing peace process, the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) assumed a defensive posture when negotiations started between the USA and the Taliban. The ANDSF continued to hold that posture when the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan entered into peace negotiations with the Taliban.
The ANDSF entered this defensive posture after having just retaken 9 districts from the Taliban and freeing over 400 prisoners from 22 Taliban prisons. Moving into a defensive posture, to aid in the possibility of a peace process, stopped the offensive operation that planned to crush even more Taliban strongholds.
Meanwhile the Taliban continued their offensive operations instead of also respecting the peace offer by also entering a defensive posture. The Taliban took advantage of the lack of a clear definition for the term “reduction in violence” (RiV) and did not limit their attacks on the largest US allied force in the country, the ANDSF. Instead, the Taliban chose to broadly interpret the RiV as no attacks on coalition forces and no attacks in major cities. However, the Taliban could not even honor the so-called RiV very long. The Taliban were actually unable to attack coalition forces because coalition forces are small in number, and those few in Afghanistan have been quarantined due to COVID.
The Taliban have used the opportunity of ANDSF defensive posture during peace talks to continue their offensive operations everywhere except for certain major cities from the beginning of the RiV. The Taliban have also misused the peace process time period to transport large amounts of explosive materials to make bombs, illegal drugs, and Al-Qaeda bomb experts in and out of Afghanistan.
At the beginning of the RiV the ANDSF did not attack the Taliban, and we held back from combat for a long time in accordance with our commitment to honor the peace process. In contrast, the Taliban did not honor the peace process; and instead, are using the opportunity of peace talks to plant bombs along highways and roads in several cities that have maimed and killed Afghans almost daily.
Today Taliban movements are much more limited because the ANDSF has taken actions based on the evidence that the Taliban are not committed to their words for peace. We must protect our citizens and nation.
The second reason that some perceive the Taliban have made gains is the increase in Taliban bombings. If a bomb goes off somewhere in our country, it does not mean the area is under the “control” of the Taliban. It means that a specific bomb is being controlled (many times remotely) by the Taliban. The Taliban continue to detonate previously-planted bombs (planted during the early RiV time-period when Taliban moved around on certain routes to avoid the ANDSF while our forces honored the peace process). Now the detonation of previously planted explosives is giving some an impression of Taliban “presence” in certain areas, particularly along highways.
The third misunderstanding that leads some to think the Taliban are taking territory is a confusion that “attempting to take over” a place is the same as taking it. Using the ANDSF’s commitment to honor the peace process, the Taliban have attempted to get closer to Kandahar and Helmand; but the ANDSF pushed them back in both areas.
A fourth misunderstanding by some is that taking over a certain area is the same as maintaining control. The Taliban have tried to take over certain areas that were not manned by ANDSF, and that were not previously controlled by the Taliban (like areas in some of the northern provinces). In these cases, local people kicked the Taliban out. While some reported that the Taliban took over a certain area, they did not follow up their reporting to learn that the Taliban did not maintain control for long. The reporting on these Taliban incursions created an impression that the Taliban were expanding their presence, even though they were actually defeated in those areas.
The fifth misleading factor is a failure to fact-check Taliban claims. If the Taliban say they have control of an areas, you do not have to take their word for it. The Taliban, knowing they would not be attacked because of the peace process, have used strategies such as stopping vehicles two kilometers away from ANDSF check-posts to threaten passengers. The Taliban spread fear to several provinces at once via this strategy by doing it on roads that connect provinces. The Taliban also use targeted assassinations to spread fear nationally on one hand, and use the actions decrease attention from their major RiV-violation offensives on the other. The Taliban may have spread fear quickly; but they have not gained territory or control.
Despite the ANDSF restraining themselves from offensive attacks to honor the peace process, the Taliban have not been able to take over and maintain a single district. The Taliban have not captured a single city in the past few years since the ANDSF have taken over complete security control of the country. The Taliban have used certain strategies, that are now being exposed, to spread fear and give false perceptions about their presence.
The Taliban have no ability to fight ANDSF in face-to-face battles. Unfortunately, the Taliban cowardly use civilians as human shields to protect themselves and to detonate bombs to spread fear and terror.
Over the past month alone, the ANDSF have freed 120 people (both civilians and military personnel) from Taliban prisons. We will not stop our mission to protect our citizens and rescue them from harm.
In the end, control means a presence of forces that provides security and services to the people. The entire country is in control of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and our forces actively provide services to the great people of this land.
