AS the Taliban have taken over Afghanistan, there is this triangle of despair comprising the United States, India and Ashraf Ghani. There is a blame game going on among the three entities for the embarrassment and the subsequent chaos.

India is openly blaming Ghani and the US for letting them down. The Indian media has gone to the extent of talking about some covert deal between Ghani and the Taliban while keeping India in the dark.

On the other hand, the US feels let down by both India and Ghani. The US equipped and trained 350,000-strong Afghan National Army (ANA) and police, making arrangements for their monthly salaries to put up a fight and defeat the Taliban.

It also appears that the Indians had also assured the US of their active support to ANA after the former’s withdrawal. The collapse of the ANA without a fight and surrendering en bloc is a big embarrassment and shock for the US which now watches helplessly the latest American weapons, vehicles and equipment, which were meant for ANA, in the hands of the Taliban as a prize for their victory.

It can be fairly assumed that in future the US will think twice about any advice by its strategic partner, India, which has let down Washington rather badly. The US has been pumping in large-scale economic and military aid to India since the Indo-China war of 1962 to enable India to face China.

The bitter truth is that India can never even imagine to stand against China after the humiliating defeat it suffered in 1962.

However, India will continue using the China bogey to acquire more and more economic and military aid from the US with the sole intention of using it against Pakistan.

To recall history, the US had equipped 10 Indian mountain divisions immediately after the 1962 conflict with China. Of these mountain divisions, 90 per cent were, and are, still deployed against Pakistan. The situation will not be different in the future.

Briefly, no one owns failure. Trillions of dollars by the US and billions of dollars by India have gone down the drain owing to incorrect assessment and wrong policies.

All the three components of the triangle of despair are equally responsible for the debacle. Let history decide as to who would have the lion’s share of shame and ignominy.

Lt-Col (retd) Syed Iftikhar Ahmed
Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2021