KABUL, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Afghan political experts have described the U.S.-led war on terror in Afghanistan as a failure.
"The so-called U.S.-led war against the Taliban, al-Qaida and terrorist groups has failed to root out the insurgents and bring about peace in Afghanistan," renowned analyst Shamsul Haq Arianfar told Xinhua.
Aimed at dethroning the Taliban regime, demolishing al-Qaida and associated groups and bringing about peace and stability in Afghanistan, the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom, launched on Oct. 7, 2001 in Afghanistan, has yet to achieve its goals, said the expert.
"Since the U.S.-led military invasion against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan 19 years ago, countless Afghans, including thousands of civilians have been killed, but the war-battered country has yet to achieve peace," the analyst said.
The U.S.-led military coalition invaded the Taliban regime, believing it was harboring al-Qaida network's chief Osama bin Laden, the architect of the 9/11 attacks.
He went on to say that the U.S. won't remove all of its forces from Afghanistan over the next year, saying that Washington would reduce its forces but would keep at least a number of troops and intelligence presence in the country.
Echoing the same opinion, another expert, Mansoor Faiz, said during the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan only al-Qaida's network was active in the country, but in the presence of foreign forces, the number of terrorist groups has exploded to more than 20.
"The U.S. may reduce its forces in Afghanistan but won't fully withdraw from the country as the presence of militant groups would threaten Washington's interests at home and abroad," said the analyst. Enditem
