Impact of Afghan War on the Radicalization

Abstract

Religious radicalization has emerged as a tangible threat in the Post-Soviet Union global milieu. The term used as radicalization has mainly been attributed towards Islamic fundamentalism, linked with brewing militancy in the Muslim countries. Afghanistan and Pakistan have been serious victims of violence initiated by religious zealots, especially after the eventful day of 11 September when Al-Qaeda affiliated militants carried out terrorist attacks on American mainland. The US responded with the invasion of Afghanistan, removing the Taliban Regime from Kabul and initiating a global hunt against its once allies during Afghan Jihad. During the American led war against Muslim militants, Afghanistan was yet again thrown in endemic violence, while neighboring Pakistan that once hosted Jihadists from all over the world for resistance against the Red Army also faced serious security challenges. The radicalization process in Pakistan has been a direct outcome of violence in Afghanistan where Jihadi forces, once trained, equipped and sustained by the US now started fighting with its mentor. Islamabad faced serious challenge from militancy but initiated a well deliberated as well as executed strategy to not only defeat the terrorism but de-radicalize the society also. Pakistan had relatively better gains in its de-radicalization drive and the strategy employed during the process can be adopted by other effected nations as well.