A Lithuanian general who participated in the wars in Afghanistan: we have to talk to the Taliban and acknowledge it

In recent days a situation has prevailed in the Afghan capital that until a few weeks ago seemed absolutely incredible: without a battle, the Taliban continue to patrol the streets, gradually establishing their order, but are not touched by aliens and barely move away from the airport, evacuation of local residents. Until recently, fierce fighting broke out between the Taliban and the United States and its allies, with both sides now maintaining an unwritten or undeclared ceasefire, within range.

Many commentators have pointed to the fact that the Taliban, who have returned to power in Afghanistan 20 years later, or at least the fighters who fly the common Taliban flag, are “different.” But at the same time it emphasizes: do not be fooled, it is only a temporary image. The Taliban, who are tirelessly dealing with the protests, appear to be waiting for the last of the foreigners to leave, and then it will be possible to do whatever they want.

But even if the foreigners leave, Taliban-controlled Afghanistan will remain. How will it be and how to treat the power of this country to other states? Only a few, including the Taliban, who have supported the Taliban for the past 20 years, had recognized the Taliban rule until 2001. The Taliban, which has supposedly changed now, does not hide its hope that more countries will recognize Afghanistan. under your control. Should Lithuania be among them? This idea already has the support of the former commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, General Valdas Tutkus.

Who will recognize first?

“If the Taliban claim to be seeking international legitimacy, these actions will not give them that,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Aug. 6, in response to the Taliban’s attack on major cities in Afghanistan.

The US forces, which were clearly reluctant to engage the Taliban, kept their distance and only warned the Taliban what would happen if at least one US army was hit. The Taliban appeared to be listening and occupying the capital without firing, and the evacuation of the Americans was not prevented. It is true that at first the Taliban defended the Afghan crowds at the airport, where panic and chaos reigned, and in recent days they no longer allowed entry to the airport area, whose perimeter protection has been taken by several thousand . American troops.

Last year, however, a kind of dilemma arose between the then US administration, led by Donald Trump, and the Taliban after signing a kind of peace agreement and the future inclusion of the Taliban after the withdrawal of US forces: States United does not recognize the Taliban, but negotiates the back of the Afghan government.

Many experts have criticized this as a matter of time before the Taliban have to be recognized. And now, as they seize power and wait for the last of the aliens to leave, the problem may arise earlier than expected.

True, even Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which have previously recognized the Taliban rule, are taking a cautious stance so far: no country wants to be first. It is true that it may be China, which has an increasingly close relationship with the Taliban. The country’s Foreign Ministry has already sent ambiguous but at the same time favorable signals to the Taliban.

“Respecting Afghan sovereignty and the will of all groups in the country, China maintained contacts with the Afghan Taliban and met with the head of its political committee, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. We hope that the Afghan Taliban, in solidarity with other groups, can form a political structure adapted to national realities to lay the foundations for peace in the country. (…) We tend to continue developing good neighborly relations with Afghanistan and we play a constructive role in the reconstruction and peace of the country, “he said. Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Taliban takeover.

True, a comment appeared later, that China will also not be quick to acknowledge that a stable government must be formed first.

“If we are going to recognize the government, we will have to wait for the government to be formed,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

Lithuania is offered to negotiate with the Taliban

At that time, he was the commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, who had previously served in the Soviet Army, with whom he served as a major in 1979-1989. During the war in Afghanistan, he shared a detailed post on his Facebook account describing his observations. First, about the various experts he supposedly listened to, and then about his own experience.

“I thought I also had the right to express my opinion. Be that as it may, I spent 2 years fighting in Afghanistan in 1983-1985, and I spent more than 10 years in Muslim countries. Finally, as a LASCO ground force and later as a commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, I contributed a lot to the development of our special forces and the training, deployment of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) and the service of the Lithuanian troops in Afghanistan … Well, I visited our soldiers 2-3 times a year. I think I have a little understanding of this cold, I know well those lands and their way of thinking ”, V. Tutkus did not hesitate.

However, after a comprehensive description of the situation in Afghanistan both in Soviet times and since 2001, when the US-led coalition struck the Taliban and overthrew them, Tutkus acknowledged that even his support for political decisions such as military and Lithuania’s participation in the United States. it helped pave the way for NATO membership, and the goals were unclear.

“I have already heard comments from some politicians that the generals did not appreciate, they calculated too much confidence in themselves, and so on. I want to point out that the generals have not started a single war in history. (This is not true – the board of generals that ruled Argentina started the Falkland Islands War in 1982. – Ed. This honor goes to the political elite, and the soldiers, obeying orders, die and are ultimately guilty. Unfortunately, this is already the case.

What objective was being pursued in this long operation (ISAF) for me, for example, was not and is not clear. I don’t think our politicians have a clear answer either. If there was a desire to bring democracy to Afghanistan, then that desire was not fair, weighed, or planned. In the end, this was not the right task and had to be approached differently. But what are you going to do with so many experts and experts around you? The general began to sneer again and was hinting at advice about what might have to be done differently. However, the most important thing, according to V. Tutkus, is not looking to the past, but to the future.

“There is no need to shave the hair from the head and other places, it is not necessary to look for culprits. All this later. Now we must focus on one topic: what to do now because there is NO time. Apparently you had to think before. (.. .) I know that democracies do not speak to regimes that are willing to sacrifice millions, have economic losses, etc. But in this particular case, obviously an exception must be made, because the lives of thousands of people and not only Afghans are at stake, on the card is our prestige.

I have heard opinions that if the Taliban are furious, and I have no doubt, the United States and NATO will return. It hardly goes here. Apparently, it would be correct to acknowledge the Taliban government because de facto it is already there. We need to sit at the negotiating table to find a way out, ”V. Tutkus presented the most important proposal.

“I am sure that not everyone will agree with me. I just wanted to share my thoughts because I do not know how others, (but) what is happening to me is important, because Lithuania also participated in this company, and that means that we are also responsible for the consequences, ”said V. Tutkus.

By the way, although western states have so far categorically rejected even the idea of ​​recognizing the Taliban, there is no shortage of considerations that will inevitably have to speak to this regime. It is interesting that Vytautas and Gabrielius Landsbergiai have already expressed similar thoughts in Lithuania in recent days.

When asked about the fate of the translators who cooperated with Lithuania, the first de facto leader of the restored independent Lithuania considered that “perhaps it was necessary to recognize the Taliban government as soon as possible and start specific negotiations or talks on the fate of those people.”

“Their power is ‘de facto’ power, they can pull on the rubber for half or a couple of years and then start cooperating if the other party agrees to start cooperating. It is possible not to stretch that rubber,” said V. Landsbergis.

“Together with the United States and our other partners, it is necessary to agree on new actions and future relations with the new administration dominated by the Taliban in Afghanistan, trying to counter the influence of authoritarian states in the region,” emphasized the current Lithuanian minister. of Foreign Relations G. Landsbergis.