CIA private army poses a great threat to Afghanistan: Writer

An American author and political commentator believes that even if Pentagon troops will leave Afghanistan the CIA private army will be there, and the country will not be free. “They pose a great threat to Afghanistan,” he said. 

“Last weekend, the US and the Taliban signed an agreement in Doha, Qatar, about the US troops leaving Afghanistan after being in the country and occupying much of its territory for about 18 and a half years,” Stephen Lendman told Press TV in a phone interview on Monday.

“The war began after the CIA's mother of all false flags 911 attacks, that the Taliban had nothing to do with it; Osama bin Laden had nothing to do with it. And the US attacked Afghanistan based on big lies, and mass deception, and it stayed in the country all these years,” he said.  

“Not the longest US war ever, that was against Native Americans that went on for centuries. But it certainly has been the longest US war in modern times. The previous longest (US war) was in Southeast Asia, and that went on for a decade in the 1960s and 70s,” he noted.  

“Will the war really end? Will the US really leave Afghanistan? It simply doesn't matter whether the Pentagon troops stay in the country or leave because the CIA has its own private army in the country. And they're not leaving. They don't walk around in uniforms, so they are not easily identifiable, but they're there in many thousands, Afghans, whatever, and their people, they will not leave. They pose a great threat to Afghanistan,” he said.

“As far as Pentagon troops go, on any pretext, real or invented, the Pentagon could resend troops to Afghanistan, even if they're all withdrawn. That's exactly what happened in Iraq. All US forces were withdrawn, and then a few years later, they came back on the phony pretext of combating ISIS (Daesh) that the US created and supports. And sadly, Iraq went along with this scheme, which they know it could happen again anyway,” he said.

On Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the US is leaving Afghanistan after two decades of "humiliation".

"US occupiers should've never invaded Afghanistan. But they did, and blamed everyone else for consequences," Zairf tweeted.

"Now after 19 years of humiliation, US has tendered its surrender," he added.

The foreign minister noted that US military presence has been a source of suffering for Afghanistan and other countries such Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

"It will leave—while leaving huge mess behind," he noted.

US leaving Afghanistan after two decades of humiliation: Zarif

Iran

“I agree with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif that the US signing an agreement with the Taliban was a great humiliation for the US. Well, it won't be long before it's forgotten. And whatever happens in Afghanistan will happen. My best guess is Pentagon troops may leave, if not all of them, maybe most of them. It'll be a long drawn-out process,” Lendman said.

“They're supposed to be drawn down to about 8,400 in the coming weeks or a few months, and then all of them are supposed to be out of the country within 14 months. So that will be early next year. Maybe that'll happen. Maybe it won't. There can be a lot of pretext for the US to invent between now and then to keep troops in the country,” he stated.

“But even if they leave, once again, the CIA private army will be there, and Afghanistan will not be free. The longest war that the country and its people have suffered -- maybe more -- than any other country in the world over a longer duration going back many centuries before Alexander the Great. Their suffering will not end by the agreement that the US signed with the Taliban in Doha," he said.

"I wish I could be optimistic. I'm afraid I cannot. I'm very pessimistic for what lies ahead for the Afghan people because I know the way the US operates,” he concluded.

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