The decision of the US government to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan and the subsequent announcement that NATO forces would also be withdrawn from the landlocked South Asian country should be causing huge concern and uncertainty among the millions of law-abiding citizens of Afghanistan.

Apart from the fact that the decision of the US government to withdraw forces from Afghanistan is a loss of face for the USA as well as the NATO countries, it is a definite victory for the Islamic terrorists who are entrenched not only in Afghanistan but in several other countries in the world, including in Pakistan.

It is obvious, the USA and NATO countries have washed their hands off Afghanistan, leaving the common people - particularly women and children - at the mercy of the Islamic terrorists, particularly since the weak government in Kabul is not in a position to oppose and fight the extremists.

Naturally, the government in Afghanistan, having been let down by the USA, would try to buy peace with the Islamic extremists and this would be very costly for those running the government now.

The confidence of the Islamic extremists are now getting boosted around the world because of the “surrender of the USA and NATO countries”.

The consequences of succumbing to the offensives of the Islamic extremists in Afghanistan would not be confined only to neighboring countries such as  Pakistan  and India, but it would have severe adverse impact on world peace.

Impact on Pakistan

Many law-abiding citizens in Pakistan, who have a mature outlook, are clearly now realizing that their nation is paying a heavy price for allowing Islamists  to get well entrenched on its soil.  Moreover, the policy of appeasement followed by the Pakistan government and the nation’s military have allowed the extremists to have their way.

As a result, Pakistan has lost its reputation as a peaceful country and gained notoriety as a terrorist-ridden land. Caught between the vice-like grip of Islamists on the one hand, and China on the other, moderate and progressive citizens of Pakistan are facing an unenviable situation.

With Afghanistan going under the control of Islamic extremists, their future target would be to achieve a hardline Islamisation of Pakistan. The country would be forced to shed whatever semblance of progressiveness and moderation it still has.

Effect on India, USA, Europe

India is already battling Islamic extremists in Kashmir and the terrorists from the soil of Afghanistan and Pakistan would certainly increase the intensity of their attacks. It remains to be seen as to how India tackles this serious situation.

It is not as if the USA and European countries can escape the consequences  of the panicky decision to withdraw forces from Afghanistan, after earlier having targeted elimination of terrorism in what was for two decades grandly called the "war on terror".

The strengthened Islamic terrorists will continue their offensive in USA, Canada and European nations and they have positioned themselves well to do so, since millions of people owing allegiance to hardline Islam (a few of whom  could be militants) have migrated to these countries as refugees in the recent past. Certainly, the threat to peace in European countries, Canada and USA , which is already showing signs of disturbance, would become more severe.

Is there a solution?

Possibly, the UN General Assembly should consider a proposal to send peacekeeping forces to Afghanistan to maintain peaceful conditions to the extent possible, and protect the lives of its law-abiding citizens, who are in a majority.

In   many world forums, there have been loud talk by different countries that terrorism should be defeated at any cost, but it has not happened.

The withdrawal of forces by USA and NATO countries from Afghanistan only make it very obvious that the fight against terrorism will not yield results sooner or even later. 

(The writer is a Trustee, NGO Nandini Voice for the Deprived, Chennai. Views are personal. He can be contacted at nsvenkatchennai@gmail.com)