Afghanistan – Occupation for Greed
Western excuse for invading Afghanistan to destroy the so-called “den of terrorism (Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden)” was a big lie – just as the subsequent lie of Iraq’s “Weapon of Mass Destruction” and the current “Iran’s nuclear threat” to Israel and the US. In reality it was a shear case of western greed for the huge natural gas and oil resources of Caspian Sea and Afghanistan itself – plus strategic location of Afghanistan – being a neighbour to Pakistan (the only Muslim country with nuclear bombs), Islamic Iran (a devout supporter of Islamic resistance groups fighting Zionist occupation of Palestine and Lebanon), and the emerging world power, China.
In 1997 – US multinational energy company UNOCAL signed an agreement with Taliban delegation in Houston – allowing the company to contruct the proposed US$8 billion, 1050 miles long Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline – Joining Turkeministan’s Dualatabad gas fields to Pakistai port of Gwadar (Blochistan province), passing through Afghan territory. The estimated capacity of the proposed pipeline is 33 billion cubic meters per year.
According to US Energy Information Administration source, Afghanistan has untapped oil (100 million barrels), gas (5 trillion cubic feet), copper (2% of world production), and coal deposits, believed to be one of world’s largest high-grade deposits.
Due to the non-stop local and Taliban resistance to western occupation of Afghanistan – the completion of the pipeline seem an American dream after 11 years. In the meantime – tens of billions of American tax money has been wasted on the cost of occupation – while a very little on the so-called “the liberated Afghan population” – to provide them the opportunity to develop their own natural resources to better their standard of living, which has worsened as compared to one they had under Taliban rule. Estimated two-third of Afghan population live less than US$2 per day.
During Russian occupation – Moscow spent US$650 million as compared to Washington’s US$7 million for the exploration of natural resources.
Canadian columnist and author of “War at the Top of the World”, Eric Margolis, explores the reasons of Washington’s greed for the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, though he ignores the Jewish Lobby, which was behind both occupations – and is now pushing the US for war against Sudan and Islamic Iran.
“The 9/11 attacks, about which Taliban knew nothing, supplied the
pretex to invade Afghanistan. The initial US operation had the
legitimate objective of wiping-out Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda. But after
its 300 members fled to Pakistan, the US stayed on, built bases, which
just happened to be adjacent to the planned pipeline route – and
installed former UNOCAL consultant, Hamid Karzi, as leader.
Washington disguised its energy geopolitics by claiming the Afghan
occupation was to fight “Islamic Terrorism”, liberate women, build
schools, and promote democracy. Ironically, the Soviets made exactly the
same claims when they occupied Afghanistan from 1979-1989.”
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