Iranians Build Up Afghan Clout

[illusion8]

BY MARIA ABI-HABIB

HERAT, Afghanistan—Iran is funding aid projects and expanding intelligence networks across Afghanistan, moving to fill the void to be left by the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.

While Iran's spending here is nowhere near the billions the U.S. spends, Tehran's ability to run grass-roots programs and work directly with Afghans is giving its efforts disproportionate clout—something it could wield against American interests should the U.S. military strike Iran's nuclear program.

"Iran is the real influence here. With one snap of their fingers, they can mobilize 20,000 Afghans".

Iran Uses Aid to Build Afghan Influence - WSJ.com

 

[illusion8]

In the Jubrayl neighborhood in Herat, Afghanistan, Iranian aid organizations have built mosques and madrassas and distributed money for housing and wedding expenses to the locals. Iran is funding aid projects and expanding intelligence networks across Afghanistan, moving to fill the void to be left by the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.

Iranian Aid Programs in Afghanistan Expand Influence - WSJ.com

Looks like America is worried of Iran entering Afghanistan.

 

[illusion8]

India's role in bringing stability in Afghanistan will be very helpful: US

WASHINGTON: Emphasising on India's cooperation for developing stability in Afghanistan, US defense secretary Leon Panetta said here that India is an important country in the region and whatever India can do to bring stability in Afghanistan would be very helpful.

"India is an important country in that region. And obviously, whatever India can do to try to help develop stability in that region, both working with Afghanistan as well as Pakistan, would be very helpful to the prospects of peace in the future," Panetta told reporters on Thursday during a Pentagon news conference.

Talking about Afghanistan, Panetta said their goal has always been an Afghanistan that can govern and secure itself and that can be a sovereign and independent country in that important region of the world and one that is sufficiently secure so that al-Qaida never again finds a safe heaven from which to conduct attacks on our country or anyplace else.

"That's the goal. And that's the kind of Afghanistan that I think we're trying to work towards and I think it's the kind of Afghanistan the Afghan people want to have for the future as well," Panetta said in response to a question.

India's role in bringing stability in Afghanistan will be very helpful: US - The Times of India

Afghanistan's becoming a mish mash of varied interests.

 

[Kaniska]

USA is making an expensive and unfortunate mistake by going in the wrong side of Iran...If Iran would be on its side....US could have deal with Iran in a better way rather than bargained by Pakistan...

 

[ebr77]

Afghanistan is a total mess, and will be for a long time. If you want my 2 paisa idea, India like Bangladesh did, should stay out of Afghanistan. US started it, they should not pull out before they finished their job in Afghanistan.

If US leaves too fast, there will be a lot of vacant spots. The terrorism will spread like wild fire and will affect us all.

 

[somebozo]

With one snap of a finger, Pakistan can mobilize 200,000 well armed Talibans..

 

[Kaniska]

With one snap of a finger, Pakistan can mobilize 200,000 well armed Talibans..

I know that you have a great asset.....Keep it with them...If you have Taliban as your friend...why do you need enemey like India...Enjoy your weekend....

 

[Supply&Demand]

Iran expanding their clout is good for India. The one thing Iran does not want equally if not more than American controlled Afghan is a Taliban controlled Afghanistan...

 

[Serpentine]

It's not necessarily a bad thing.Taliban is enemy of Iran,U.S and India and even Pakistani people.We can keep them from coming to power.
If we even start to feel that Taliban may come to,power again,Iran and India and other countries can send limited forces to kick their ***.An stable Afghanistan is best thing for us.We have suffered the most from drug coming from Afghanistan and lost 3,000 soldiers for it.

 

[Surenas]

Afghanistan would turn into a playground of competing powers; Iran/India/Russia against Pakistan/KSA. Iran wants to secure Afghanistan, Saudis wants to encircle Iran, Pakistan wants to keep India out, etc. Even Russia would probably support Karzai - they did before -, by preventing Islamic fundamentalism threaten their interests in Central-Asia and elsewhere. Taliban would probably gain more territory, but not a pre-2001 overweight.

 

[INDIC]

It's not necessarily a bad thing.Taliban is enemy of Iran,U.S and India and even Pakistani people.We can keep them from coming to power.
If we even start to feel that Taliban may come to,power again,Iran and India and other countries can send limited forces to kick their ***.An stable Afghanistan is best thing for us.We have suffered the most from drug coming from Afghanistan and lost 3,000 soldiers for it.

Yes, even Chinese fear Taliban and their support for Uyghur separatists.

 

[user1]

It's not necessarily a bad thing.Taliban is enemy of Iran,U.S and India and even Pakistani people.We can keep them from coming to power.
If we even start to feel that Taliban may come to,power again,Iran and India and other countries can send limited forces to kick their ***.An stable Afghanistan is best thing for us.We have suffered the most from drug coming from Afghanistan and lost 3,000 soldiers for it.

A pragmatic solution lies only in engaging with moderate (Afghan) Taliban elements (i.e. free from funding from KSA) which represent the majority, Sunni, Pashtuns of Afghanistan. US also tried out that strategy, but was too arrogant to keep Pakistan out of the loop; the strategy failed. Many analysts consider every 4 out of 5 Talibans to be moderate and can be the only dominant unifying force in Afghanistan.

If we only look at the post-revolutionary Iran, the grip of Mullahs was very strict on the populace, only with the passage of time, moderate (?enlightened) elements emerged from the ranks of clergy and brought reform.

Similar examples exist for Taliban era Afghanistan; they started with taxing the poppy production and ended up banning it completely by 2000 (by Mullah Omar's Fatwa); although poppy cultivation continued in Shia majority Northern Alliance areas.

The approach of 'the only good Talib is a dead Talib' has neither worked out in the past nor will it be any fruitful in the future.

 

[Serpentine]

A pragmatic solution lies only in engaging with moderate (Afghan) Taliban elements (i.e. free from funding from KSA) which represent the majority, Sunni, Pashtuns of Afghanistan. US also tried out that strategy, but was too arrogant to keep Pakistan out of the loop; the strategy failed. Many analysts consider every 4 out of 5 Talibans to be moderate and can be the only dominant unifying force in Afghanistan.

If we only look at the post-revolutionary Iran, the grip of Mullahs was very strict on the populace, only with the passage of time, moderate (?enlightened) elements emerged from the ranks of clergy and brought reform.

Similar examples exist for Taliban era Afghanistan; they started with taxing the poppy production and ended up banning it completely by 2000 (by Mullah Omar's Fatwa); although poppy cultivation continued in Shia majority Northern Alliance areas.

The approach of 'the only good Talib is a dead Talib' has neither worked out in the past nor will it be any fruitful in the future.

I still don't understand your support for Taliban.Only because they are Sunni?
What are you trying to say by stating that drug is being produced in 'Shia' areas?Today,the largest production of opium is in southern regions of Afghanistan,near Pakistan border and it is transferred to northern parts for smuggling from Iran and central Asia.See?people are not all ignorant,and lies are discovered easily.
Like it or not,Taliban should not and will not rule Afghsnistan again.Also,Pashtuns are not absolute majority,they are like 40%.near 40% of Afghans are Tajiks and Hazaras who speak Persian.So the leader should not necassarily be Pashtun.

 

[IraniGirl]

Iran wants to keep out extremist Taliban, Taliban is an enemy of America too. So whats the problem again?

 

[RazPaK]

I still don't understand your support for Taliban.Only because they are Sunni?
What are you trying to say by stating that drug is being produced in 'Shia' areas?Today,the largest production of opium is in southern regions of Afghanistan,near Pakistan border and it is transferred to northern parts for smuggling from Iran and central Asia.See?people are not all ignorant,and lies are discovered easily.
Like it or not,Taliban should not and will not rule Afghsnistan again.Also,Pashtuns are not absolute majority,they are like 40%.near 40% of Afghans are Tajiks and Hazaras who speak Persian.So the leader should not necassarily be Pashtun.

There is too much divide in Afghanistan. If you were to leave it up to the Afghans they would start killing each other and become warlords of their respective regions. That's why people think that Afghanistan will break up.

But we are the Afghan's brothers and we cannot let their country break up.

Afghanistan is not ready to have a Shia/Non-Pashtun leader, sorry to say.

They need to quite a few decades of sectarian/ethnic harmony before that can happen, like Pakistan.