Special Forces and Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, 2001 (Essay Sample)

Special Forces & the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, 2001
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Abstract
Afghanistan has recorded a series of military events that were coupled with a politically polarized atmosphere over the past decades. Many countries, such as Pakistan, India, Soviet Union and the United States, found themselves in the middle of the civil war in Afghanistan. In 2001, the incursion of the British into Afghanistan was not welcomed by the Afghan oppositions. This resistance stemmed from the fact that the British system fueled enmity among the nationalists, and that the leadership put in place was not known to people. The fall of the Russian-based communist system in 1992 saw the establishment of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. The United Islamic Front, commonly known as the Northern Alliance, was formed to conquer the Mujahedeen of the Taliban group. The synergy of the Northern Allies and the United States was so strong that they eventually defeated the Taliban.
Special Forces & the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, 2001
Introduction
The massive atrocities, extortions, and massacres that featured the better part of the Afghanistan historical timeline centered through political and economic agenda. Afghanistan has recorded a series of military events that were coupled with a politically polarized atmosphere over the past decades. The country is known for hosting various militias groups, such as the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, who have been organizing brutal attacks; the described situation has contributed vastly to the increase in the humanitarian crisis. Many countries, such as Pakistan, India, the Soviet Union and the United States, found themselves in the middle of the civil war in Afghanistan. This situation saw several nations forming allies to counteract the Taliban’s great conquest mission of the entire country’s territory. At this time in history, the military front known as the United Islamic Front, whose principal leaders were Ahmad Shah Massoud and Abdul Rashid Dostum, was formed to fight against the Taliban regime. The nationalists of this country together with the anti-northern allies joined forces in the similar fashion to not only protect the political and economic interest of the Taliban communists but also to endorse an Islamic-based fundamentalist system.
Historical Background
The war in Afghanistan started when the British government sent troops to Afghanistan and appointed the British protйgй (Bearden, 2001). The incursion of the British into Afghanistan was not welcomed by the Afghan oppositions. This resistance stemmed from the fact that the British system fueled enmity among the nationalists and that the leadership put in place was not known to people. It is evident that the fall of British would then provide lessons for the Soviet Union, who on the contrary, adopted the similar British approach and was later forced to withdraw from Afghanistan. It is worthy to note that the British hastened their military operation into Afghanistan to prevent the Russians from gaining the political advantage before them.
The fall of the Russian-based communist system in 1992 saw the establishment of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. Due to the increasing civil war that resulted from previous regimes, it was very crucial that the future leadership is constituted based on the sovereignty of people. Nonetheless, even with this political system that was instituted through a peace agreement, a dissatisfied faction of the Islamist groups revolted. The likes of the Hezb-e Islam, which was headed by Hekmatyar, resisted the system on the grounds of subordination of their nationalist interests. Later on, Afghanistan descended into a prolonged political instability that was characterized by massive atrocities and battlefields.
The Northern Allies
Kabul was at the center of historical fights and war crimes in Afghanistan. Due to the fact that the Taliban had ceased most of the regions in the country, it was necessary that various factions unify their military efforts and fight against them. The United Islamic Front, also known as the Northern Alliance, was formed to conquer the Mujahedeen of the Taliban group. As a multi-ethnical group, the northern alliance had faced several internal disputes while under the leadership of Shah Massoud, Burhanuddin and Abdul Rashid Dostum. The unified factions of the United Islamic Front included the Uzbek, Hazara, Pushtan and Tajik forces. When the entire Kabul was fully seized by the Taliban militia, the northern allies prepared themselves to prevent the group from expanding further their territories.
Meanwhile, other nations, such as Iran, had to offer support to the Taliban for a myriad of reasons. Firstly, together with Saud Arabia and Pakistan, Iran wanted to propel their regional ambitions through the Asian regions. Hence, this motive ignited the need to provide fully the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militias with ammunitions and finances. Secondly, the Indian Intelligence system was alleged to have been supporting the anti-Taliban group. As a result, the Arab nations, which included Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, invested in the Taliban’s warfare via bankrolling and fund solicitation. Notably, Pakistan also played a significant role in boosting the military capacity of the Taliban group. They offered training, finance, and intelligence, which were necessary for the execution of their major military operations. “The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism” (2014) also provide that these nations and other militia groups, such as Al- Qaeda were the biggest enemies of the allies.
The strict Islamic rules that were imposed on the Islamic communities were considered a primary reason of formation of the northern allies. After the conquest of Kabul, there was the promulgation and enforcement of the strict Islamic Sharia by the Islamist group of Taliban (Conetta, 2002). During this time, the northern territory was not captured, but it seemed to be the next course of action for the terror forces. Due to the nature of the Islamic fundamentalist regime, the Taliban-controlled areas contained fully radicalized Muslims, who executed a series of war crimes against their enemies. The allies received a huge blow when their leader, Shah Massoud was assassinated. His death and the United States terror attack in 2001 sparked revenge against the Taliban; it marked the beginning of the invasion of the US Special Forces.
The Special Forces
The Taliban and Osama bin Laden organized a vicious terror attack that claimed many lives in the United States. The 11th September invasion saw a military restructuring process that was aimed at strengthening the army and embarking on a revenge mission, as well as liberating the northern region of Afghanistan. The Operation Enduring Freedom was a US-UK based aerial and land operation that was specifically for the September’s retaliation against the Afghanistan&r...