Islam Times - US unwilling to give up Afghanistan with eye on minerals

Islam Times - The United States is seeking to continue military presence in Afghanistan to pave the way for pursuing American interests in the war-torn country, says a commentator.

At the end of a four-day summit in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, Loya Jirga (grand tribal council) demanded the Afghan government and the Taliban to declare and implement an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

In February, the American officials rejected any time frame for troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which is seen as a stumbling block in the way of persuading Taliban militants to put down their weapons and respect a peace deal.

Keith Preston, chief editor of attackthesystem.com, said that American foreign policy elite “do not want to give up Afghanistan.”

Pointing to the reason behind the United States’ unwillingness to put an end on its military presence in Afghanistan, Preston noted, “Afghanistan has a lot of valuable minerals and other resources that a lot of American business interest and industrial interest want to develop.”

“The Americans are concerned about China coming in and developing some of those resources in the absence of the Americans,” he argued.

The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan under the guise of fighting terror. However, some 18 years into the war, the Taliban militants have only boosted their campaign of violence across the country while the Daesh terrorist group has also found footing.