The sensational pictures of two Boeing Aircrafts crashing one after the other into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York are deeply etched in the minds of virtually all those who witnessed this horrific act on Television. In fact, what followed the dastardly attack on the American soil, perhaps even more treacherous than even the Japanese strike at Pearl Harbour during the second World War, shocked the entire world. No one could have imagined that Al Qaeda and its affiliates could have given shape to a militant operation with so much precision and coordination. Americans were terrified and the accounts of those who lost their lives at New York, the Pentagon and another place on that particular day, rattled the government. The US establishment was quick to react and soon declared that it would hunt down everyone responsible for these dastardly actions while announcing a global war on terror.
What followed had serious consequences as US Bombers flew towards Afghanistan, described by the intelligence agencies as the epicenter of these attacks, to track down Osama Bin Laden and his associates. For nearly 20 years, the US spent trillions of dollars in controlling Afghanistan and left last month after what has been described as the worst defeat of America and that too in its longest and costliest war. The Taliban have once again taken over and it is an understatement to say that those who were considered amongst the most wanted terrorists, are now in the government. It is supreme irony that the US may now have to deal with them officially and it is possible that some of these notorious characters may be granted US Visas in the future if they have to visit that country either while being part of official delegations or if they get an opportunity at a later date to present their country’s case in the United Nations. The message that has emanated from this Taliban takeover is that the war on Global Terror waged by the United States was pointless as those who were the perpetrators are now in total command of the situation and could engineer even worse operations. To expect the Taliban to behave differently from the one that led the government two decades ago, is foolishness. The mind set of these barbaric and medieval bunch of Islamists is the same and can never change. The only thing is that New Delhi has to be fully prepared to face the fallout of what is happening in Afghanistan, because geographical proximity and the close ties the Taliban has with Pakistan, should be both worrying and can have dangerous consequences. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already had a series of meetings with senior functionaries of his government to take stock of the situation. He is likely to travel to the United State during the next fortnight to have a meeting with President Joe Biden. Obviously, Afghanistan would be part of the agenda when the two leaders meet. As the world observes the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on Saturday, it is time to ponder and think of how Global Terror can impact international politics and world peace..