US and its allies specially India 'main losers' in Afghanistan: experts

Experts from Pakistan, Turkey, and Iran have said that only an inclusive government in Kabul will lead to lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region, adding that the United States along with its allies specially India were the "main losers' in the war-torn country.

They were speaking at a webinar organised by the Development Communications Network (Devcom Pakistan), an Islamabad-based non-governmental organisation, on Saturday.

Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a Pakistani lawmaker, said that despite huge investments the US could not build a strong defence in Afghanistan, which is a monumental failure of a superpower.

He said the US squandered $6.4 trillion on the "war on terror" including $2.2 trillion in Afghanistan, almost $100 billion on 300,000-strong Afghan army and air force, which roughly means spending $100 billion every month on the Afghan war for the last 20 years.

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Sayed urged regional countries to forge a coordinated policy with China, Russia, Iran, and Turkey at the core, as well as Central Asian neighbours of Afghanistan, for a comprehensive plan for peace and stability.

Lt. Gen. (retd) Asad Durrani, a former chief of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, warned that the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan could have spillover effects in Pakistan, and urged for dialogue.

After quickly overrunning smaller administrative districts and provincial hubs, the Taliban fighters entered the Afghan capital Kabul on August 15 and seized power, taking control of the country for the first time in almost 20 years.

The government quickly folded, with President Ashraf Ghani and other key officials fleeing to safety abroad.

The Taliban have announced a general amnesty for state employees, encouraged women to participate in its prospective government, and pledged that Afghan soil would not be a springboard for harming any country.

'US, India, Israel, NATO losers'

The main losers in Afghanistan are the USA and NATO in particular and the West in general, said Prof. Ahmet Uysal, director of Middle Eastern Studies Centre (ORSAM) in Ankara.

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He argued that this is because the US and its allies invested in the Afghanistan invasion, hoping to establish a unipolar Western hegemony along with the invasion in Iraq, "but they failed miserably."

Uysal said India and other US allies such as Israel and some of the Gulf countries are also on the losing end.

"They all have witnessed that the US alliance was not dependable and could leave its ally alone anytime," he said, according to the statement.

The academic termed Pakistan, China, Russia as the winners, and Turkey and Iran to some extent.

Somaye Morovati, the director of South Asian Studies at Tehran International Studies and Research Institute, said neighbouring countries should strive to facilitate a smooth transition in Afghanistan for the sake of regional stability.