US Withdrawal from Afghanistan: Implications for India

The paper will be a humble attempt to explore the causes that were responsible for the withdrawal of the US-led NATO forces from Afghanistan as the withdrawal does not represent a mission completed in achieving all the three main goals that were set forth in 2001 by the US, ISAF and NATO: eliminate Osama-bin-Laden and the Al-Qaeda terrorist networks from Afghanistan; to remove the Taliban from power and the last to bring stability in Afghanistan and establish a democratic state. The paper will analyse the current security environment in Afghanistan as the conflict had grew in intensity and geographic scope, continued to result in significant casualties and displacement among Afghan civilians, as the Afghan National Security Forces sought to counter the efforts of insurgent groups to undermine the Government. The paper will also discuss how the emergence of various Pakistan backed insurgent groups is a concern for India as the biggest worry of India today is terrorism abetted by Pakistan and the possible spillover of the ISIS or the Taliban and Afghanistan/Syrian based jihadi and extremist groups into its territory.