An interview with Haroon Mir, Political Analyst in KabulQ: As you know, Wikileaks has recently released 91000 classified documents about US-led NATO operation in Afghanistan. In your opinion, how important are these documents and what will be their effect on the situation in Afghanistan?
A: The contents of these documents were something that Afghan people have already known. The documents mentioned Pakistan’s interference in Afghanistan affairs, something well understood here. Afghanistan has been accusing Pakistan of interfering in its affairs for years, and the Afghan government has repeatedly presented more reliable documents to Pakistan in this regard. But Pakistan has rejected such allegations. Pakistan still supports the Taliban insurgency and organizes plans for committing acts of terror against political figures in Afghanistan.
In my opinion, the difference between these recent documents and previous ones is that this time, the documents were made public. It means that leaking such documents through the Internet has made people in the West, especially, Americans, aware of the US-led war on terror in Afghanistan. I hope, by reading such documents, the people of America will be able to force their government to change its policy towards Pakistan.
Q: In principle, such military documents should not be public. In your opinion, what effects will the leaks have on the Afghan people and those involved in the war in Afghanistan?
A: One of the issues in these documents is the disclosure of the names of informants who worked with the U.S. Forces, which endangers lives of these individuals. We have witnessed that any time the Taliban arrest someone who is suspected of spying for foreign forces, they kill him/her without a trial. A number of Afghan people or those who work for the U.S. Forces in Pakistan may be in danger now.
It is a major challenge for both the U.S. Forces and those who cooperate with them. Such individuals (U.S. informants) are now worried about their names being released. This issue can have a negative impact on the war on terror in Afghanistan. On the other hand, due to poor living conditions in Afghanistan and Pakistan, people are obliged to carry out any mission to feed their families, even if they lose their lives.
Q: Some analysts believe that such documents were intentionally leaked by some American military figures; if so, what could be the purpose of such an action? Will the United States benefit from such things?
A: It is rarely possible to leak or release such documents unintentionally. The United States had before never witnessed the leak of secret military documents in such quantities. In my opinion, there are some figures in the military forces and the U.S. government who do not agree with the current policy and strategy towards Afghanistan. They may have wanted to express their opinion by leaking such documents.
Q: What can be the aim of the leaks? For instance, the former head of National Security, Amrullah Saleh, released some information about Pakistan’s interference in Afghanistan. As a result, he was dismissed. Do those U.S. military figures who oppose President Obama’s strategy want to put pressure on Pakistan?
A: Yes, they want to put pressure on both the U.S. government and Pakistan. It is obvious in the documents, which have been collected since 2004, that the United States has been aware of Pakistan’s interference in Afghanistan for the past six years. The White House should explain to its people why, despite this knowledge, the government took no action against Pakistan. The United States always calls Pakistan its strategic partner in the war on terror, even though Pakistan has played a key role in killing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai followed an anti-Pakistan policy for several years. Any time he shared his concerns over Pakistan’s interference in Afghanistan affairs with his Westerns counterparts, particularly the U.S. president, they ignored his concerns. President Karzai thought that if the West, particularly the United States, could not or would not tackle Pakistan, how could he do it by himself? As a result, he changed his stance towards Pakistan and adopted an anti-West policy.
In my opinion, President Karzai thinks that the only way for him to stay in power is to have close relations with regional countries. The lack of reaction by the Afghan government to the leaks shows that the president intends to maintain close relations with Pakistan. He knows that reconciliation with the Taliban depends on Pakistan’s cooperation; President Karzai does not want to lose Pakistan at any cost.
Q: The British Prime Minster has reacted harshly against Pakistan for what he called “exporting terrorism”; but the United States has not yet reacted. What could be the reason?
A: The British Prime Minister seriously criticized Pakistan during his visit to India – Pakistan’s old enemy. This raised hopes that perhaps the West has changed its policy towards Pakistan. We hope that such pressures continue and, consequently, Pakistan becomes ready to honestly support the war on terror or openly adopt an anti-NATO stance.
Q: The leaked documents mention Iran’s interference in Afghanistan. What is your opinion?
A: The difference between support of Pakistan and Iran to the Taliban is that Pakistan provides strategic support while Iran provides technical support. Strategically, Iran is against the Taliban, but is trying to counter U.S. activities in the region. One of the aims of the Taliban movement was to ban Iran’s involvement in the region. It is easy to convince Iran to stop supporting the Taliban; much more difficult to convince Pakistan.
Q: Apparently, the Taliban have stated that they would closely review the documents and would punish any Afghan who cooperates with the U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Do you think the leaks will bring more danger to the Afghan people?
A: The United States can give asylum to its informants, just as it provides its translators with opportunities to live in the United States after they work for one year with U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. The number of exposed informants is not so great that America will be not able to find a solution for it.
