Osama bin Laden may have been gunned down, but it isn't yet Mission Accomplished for the United States in Afghanistan, says South Asia expert Ahmad K Majidyar, Senior Research Associate at The American Enterprise Institute for Policy Research.
In an exclusive interview with Sify.com, Majidyar says an early American exit from Afghanistan will lead to the al Qaeda coming back and result in the destabilisation and radicalisation of Pakistan.
Excerpts from the interview:
When did you first hear of Osama's death?
I was watching Donald Trump's reality show, "The Celebrity Apprentice," on NBC when the broadcaster cut the show to report on the death of bin Laden.
Is it possible to tell us how this happened? Was it Americans who got hold of the information, or was there a mole in Osama's coterie, or are they being completely silent about this?
The operation was conducted by the US Special Forces from the elite Navy Seal Team Six. The operation was as a result of four years of intelligence gathering. The Pakistani government was informed of the operation once US forces left the country's airspace.
What was your personal reaction to the death? Am I correct in thinking that Dari speakers have always been wary of the Taliban regime and of Osama's influence on them, even while they had some sympathy in the early days from the Pashto-speakers?
My personal reaction was a sigh of relief. Bin Laden was responsible for the death of thousands of innocent Afghan civilians. He was the man who introduced suicide bombings in Afghanistan, a phenomenon alien to the Afghan history and culture previously.
Osama was a despised figure among all ethnic groups in Afghanistan, including the Pashtuns.
(In Image) Osama killed, Pak wounded: Indian newspapers focus on Pakistan's role in the death of Osama Bin Laden on May 3, 2011.Image copyright: AFP. Any unauthorized reproduction is prohibited
