New Nazis

(6) Mujahideen

The story of the guerrilla warfare following the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is somewhat known. Few have familiarized themselves with relevant details, while nevertheless most people feel they have formed a correct opinion about what happened. If they had informed them-

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selves properly, they would not have so enthusiastically endorsed Bush's crazy war on terrorism to be launched out of all places right there. Nevertheless, the president ordered the Marines, bombers and warships to catch Osama bin Laden ‘dead or alive.’ The president got himself entangled into a quagmire even worse and more dangerous than Vietnam. And why was he so stupid? Because, running a baseball team or even the state of Texas is not quite the same as beginning another quixotic crusade against Muslims, this time as late as in the 21^st century.

Initially, most observers gave the Mujahideen no chance against the Soviets. The Kremlin aimed at a Blitz with far superior modern, mechanized, and technologically advanced weaponry. Yet, nine years later, the communist superpower withdrew from Afghanistan in disgrace after losing 13,833 young soldiers. An estimated 1.3 million Afghans lost their lives while over a third of the entire population, 5.5 million became refugees.

The population of Afghanistan consists of Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turkmen's, Persian speaking Hazaras, Balochis and various smaller tribes. An estimated 99 percent of all 17 million inhabitants are Muslims. Of these, 85 per cent are Sunni, the others mostly Shia. ‘The Mujahideen are true volunteers - unpaid warriors with family responsibilities who fought to protect their faith and community,’ wrote Ali Ahmad Jalali, a former colonel in the Afghan Army, and Lester Grau, a general in the US Army in their 400-page report Afghan Guerrilla Warfare (MBI Publishing, St. Paul, Minnesota). The US, China, Britain, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates funneled military, humanitarian and financial aid via Pakistan to the Afghan resistance to cause further bloodletting among Soviet soldiers. When Osama bin Laden joined the struggle in Afghanistan, he was looked upon in Washington as a staunch ally of the West. In reality, he is a pure Muslim freedom fighter against any threats from any quarter against Islam. And that includes the menace coming from the Bush White House.

Immediately following 09-11 the US commander-inchief was persuaded by former associates of his Dad into ordering his own military adventure in Afghanistan. For a man, who knows all about innings, battered balls and strike zones, it must have been quite a switch to be in the White House situation room ordering pilots to use laser guided bombs on live people. The Afghan Taliban did harbour Al Queda freedom fighters like the US are the worldwide headquarters for illegal, criminal activities of the CIA and connected murder organizations. It's doubtful Bush ever read the fully documented pages on Mujahideen warfare by the two generals in the above-mentioned book. They illustrated each ambush or guerrilla attack against the Soviets with detailed maps. This lively documentation of actions of war make chilling, and bloodcurdling reading. The Soviets employed massive military

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force, including tanks, artillery and helicopter gun ships against an almost barefoot underground army, and at the end of the day they lost and left the Mujahideen alone.