On request from the Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM), we (the Russian Maoist Party) contacted the Afghanistan Liberation Organization (ALO) and asked them the following three questions:

MIM: As you know, the CIA supported Osama bin Laden and other Afghanis with military aid and advisors in a war against the Soviet social-imperialist backed regime in Afghanistan. Do you think that the United $tates can lead a coalition that could possibly win a ground war in Afghanistan to remove the Taliban?

ALO: On the basis of the following reasons, America and its allies are able to topple down the regime of Taliban in Afghanistan:

1. Dissatisfaction and distrust of our people from Jehadis and Taliban.
2. Mass poverty at the present situation.
3. Lack of security for the continuation of a normal life.
4. Antagonistic and bloody conflict between the Jehadis and the Taliban whose price is paid by our innocent people.
5. Oppression and atrocity against our women on unparalleled scale.
6. Mass migration as a result of clashes between two criminal camps and exhaustion and hatred due to the civil war.
7. Dependence and affiliation of both rival groups to their foreign masters.
8. 180 degree change in the policy of Pakistan in support of the Western countries.
9. Hope for the establishment of an interim government under the leadership of ex-king, Zahir Shah, on the basis of the desire of majority of the people of Afghanistan provided that the Jehadis are not included.

And finally due to the inexistence of two conditions – lack of a sound and capable leadership and lack of mass support from the “leaders” engaged in war – U.S. and its Western allies will be able to, by reinstating Zahir Shah, defeat the Taliban and take political and military leadership in their own hands.

Today’s situation is entirely different from the time when Russians directly invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Thus, we shouldn’t assess on the basis of the past situation and therefore the possibility of a resistance war and mass uprising against the U.S and its allies seems very vague and almost unpractical.

MIM: Major so-called feminist leaders here including Eleanore Smeal have called for “liberating Afghanistan” from the Taliban on behalf of wimmin’s equality in addition to the reason of getting revenge. What would you say about wimmin’s interests in this matter?

ALO: If America and the international community instead of Taliban and Jehadis want to bring Zahir Shah on the power and establish a government based on relatively democratic values, women can be benefited from this change. During the last two decades of war women of Afghanistan have been the first and easiest targets of every crime and misery.

Fundamentalism, no matter what kind, is misogynist to the core and is not willing to give women their due rights. The Islamic fundamentalists are of the opinion of imprisoning women inside the boundaries of the house. That’s why during the last 22 years of their treacherous “leadership,” women have suffered in all grounds and had become the victims of political, economic and cultural oppressions.

At the present situation, as the left forces are not enjoying the power and the leadership of the masses and thus are not in a position to play an effective role by directing the present condition in favor of their political interests (of course due to the treason of Khalq and Parcham and as well as the imperialism and reactionary governments of the region), the change of situation, i.e. the coming of Zahir Shah and disarmament of Taliban and Jehadis and non-interference of the neighboring countries in the political and military affairs would be in the interest of the whole nation particularly women. The choice of our people lies between the bad and worse form of leadership. This choice represents the sensitive situation of our country. From the historical point of view, the change of the present situation – the influence and bare interference of the external forces and the religious-fascist domination of the fundamentalists – will give more pace to the development of internal situation for the future mass-uprising for the sake of socialism and people’s government. Our class and national interest would be secured when the leadership of the future mass movement develop and strengthen by the left forces while relying on the masses without any kind of external dependence and bullying. The assessment of the situation by the intellectual women of Afghanistan cannot be out of current realities. Women need peace and security under the government which could at least respect the democratic values not only in word but in action as well.

MIM: Would you say that the war in Afghanistan¹ changed Afghanistan?

The war of resistance against the Russians changed Afghanistan to a great extent. It has shattered its political and economic stability and gave the “leadership” – during and after the war – to the hands of religious-fascist forces. Under the government of fundamentalists, the immigration of intelligentsia got momentum. No importance was given to the education and work of the women. Schools and universities were closed and unbearable blow has been struck on our material and spiritual heritage. The establishment of maddrassas and the spread of obscurantism and medieval thinking, maintenance of an atmosphere terror panic, execution and imprisonment of innocent people without any excuse, assault on the honor of women and girls and in brief the strengthening of the fundamentalists’ power with the participation of Arab, Pakistani, Chechen and others and the flood of arms and ammunitions to the Jehadis (Northern Alliance) by the Russia, Iran and certain European countries, changed our country to a bloody battlefield to the regional and international powers. At that time America and its allies used the opportunity to drag defunct Soviet Union to a war and later on shattered it into pieces. Now the pendulum has swung and it seems that Russians want to take the revenge by engaging America in another frustrating war in Afghanistan.

There are some points which include the positive aspects of this change. A historical lesson has been gained by the future generations to clearly distinguish between the friends and enemies. The two decades of war has raised their political awareness. Their closed eyes have been opened due to the permanent or temporary migration and they are now in a acquired the necessary knowledge to regard the Jehadi and Taliban leaders as the servants of the foreign powers. It is crystal clear that due to the 22 years of war the country has been bent to its knee and its political integrity and economic stability has been struck hard. Therefore we cannot compare the last two decades with any period of our history.

1. I. e. the war with the Soviet social-imperialists — RMP.↩