Abstract :
The following paper attempts to analyze the ongoing insurgency in Afghanistan by critically
evaluating the insurgent ideology, its past, current and future relevance. The paper draws on
lessons from the recent Afghanistan history and discusses the irrelevance for the future of
Afghanistan. It traces the success of Taliban insurgency by highlighting the role of „mullahs? and
„madrasas? in the Afghan society. It argues that the US policy in Afghanistan thus far has failed
to isolate the public from the insurgents, which poses serious present and future challenges. By
drawing parallels between the sudden Soviet withdrawal in the early 1990s and a potential US
withdrawal in the near future. It also points out that an untimely US withdrawal from Afghanistan
may entail an end of US engagement but it will not be an end of war for Afghanistan itself. The
essay stresses the importance of a consistent long-term US policy aimed at addressing the very
root causes of insurgency in the region
Keyword :
Afghan War, Taliban, Insurgency, US Withdrawal, Mullahs, Madrasas.