By James Orji
President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that the fall of Kabul to Taliban forces has grave implications for Africa. The president in an article with Financial Times of London said the United States miscalculated by withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan.
Kabul fell to the Taliban on Sunday amidst growing concerns of worsening terrorist’s activities across the world, particularly in Africa where Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists have taken over some swathes of lands.
The situation will even get worse now that the Taliban have declared an Islamic Republic, Buhari said, though he said it’s possible to defeat terror by creating jobs in the continent.
According to him “Though some believe the war on terror winds down with the US departure from Afghanistan, the threat it was supposed to address burns fiercely on my continent. Africa is the new frontline of global militancy.
“Yet few expect the outlay expended here to be as great as in Afghanistan. The fight against terrorism begun under the George W. Bush administration was never truly global.
“Despite rising attacks across Africa in the past decade, international assistance has not followed in step. Mozambique is merely the latest African state in danger from terrorism.
“The Sahel remains vulnerable to Boko Haram, 20 years after its formation, and other radical groups. Somalia is in its second decade fighting the equally extreme al-Shabaab. Many African nations are submerged under the weight of insurgency.
He said Nigeria and the entire Sahel have been battling Boko Haram for more than 20 years, while al-Shabab continue to battle the government of Somalia.
According to him “As Africans, we face our day of reckoning just as some sense the west is losing its will for the fight. It is true that some of our western allies are bruised by their Middle Eastern and Afghan experiences.
He further explained that if extremist groups were able to hold territory, it could inspire disillusioned people living in the west to commit heinous acts of terror in their own countries, he stressed.
He pointed out, however, that military force alone cannot defeat terrorism, adding that Africa must confront terrorism on their own, rather than fully relying on the United States and its allies to deal with the problem.
“We must not complacently assume that military means alone can defeat the terrorists. If Afghanistan has taught us a lesson, it is that although sheer force can blunt terror, its removal can cause the threat to return.
“The US and its western allies cannot be expected to underpin the security of others everywhere and indefinitely. Africa has enough soldiers of our own,” Buhari said.
