Press Release
Fifth Anniversary of the Defeat and Flight of the Last American Soldier from Afghanistan; True Independence Is Possible Only through the Establishment of the Rightly Guided Caliphate (Khilafah Rashidah)
(Translated)

The Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Afghanistan extends its congratulations and felicitations to all Muslims, especially the strugglers, da‘wah carriers, and mujahideen of Afghanistan, on the fifth anniversary of the defeat and flight of the last American soldier from Afghanistan. It regards this as a great achievement and a blessed, historic day in the record of the mujahid people of Afghanistan and the region.

Undoubtedly, America’s defeat in Afghanistan was not merely a military defeat; it was a profound intellectual, political, and strategic defeat. The hasty withdrawal of American forces and the rapid collapse of the political and security structures they supported marked a turning point that not only damaged the image of American power, but also accelerated America’s decline and the collapse of the liberal international order, pushing them into a new phase.

This is the third time that, after the defeats of Britain, the Soviet Union, and now America and NATO, our land has been freed from military occupation and an opportunity has arisen to establish the Khilafah (Caliphate) upon the method of the Prophethood. Yet on all three occasions, the same failed experiences were repeated: rulers turned to nation-states and pragmatic policies instead of establishing the Khilafah, which is the crown of obligations and among the most important duties upon Muslims.

During Afghanistan’s first independence from Britain, scholars, mujahideen, and migrants came from India to Afghanistan, hoping to receive support and expecting Afghanistan, after independence, to become the center of a great transformation. Yet not only did they receive no positive response, but, in order to preserve a balanced and neutral policy and gain the satisfaction of British India, pressure was placed on the mujahideen of India, and they endured a difficult life in Afghanistan.

At the 1924 "Loya Jirga" in Bagman, the Ulama of Afghanistan discussed the fall of the Khilafah for two consecutive days and formally asked Amanullah Khan to declare the Khilafah. However, influenced by a realist way of thinking, Amanullah Khan replied: “In response to your words and those of others, I cannot carry this heavy burden [the Khilafah] on my shoulders; for I clearly see long-term difficulties on this path... As I mentioned earlier, the harms and benefits of the existence or non-existence of the Khilafah must be discussed.”

During the second independence, when the Soviet Union was defeated in Afghanistan, another opportunity arose for true independence under the umbrella of establishing the Khilafah. Yet not only was this opportunity not used, but the fruit of jihad was plundered because of the power-seeking of the mujahideen and foreign conspiracies.

At the beginning of February 1989, a correspondent of Al-Waie Magazine of Hizb ut Tahrir interviewed Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was then the rotating chairman of the Islamic Unity of Afghan Mujahideen and later became the head of the Mujahideen government. In that interview, Prof. Rabbani was asked about establishing the Khilafah after the defeat of the former Soviet Union and its remnants, and why he had said that they would not interfere in the internal affairs of other states. He gave a similar answer, saying: “Yes, under such circumstances, we must be realistic; because in the current condition of Islam, it is not possible for one Islamic state to be established alone and immediately carry out its mission.”

During the third independence, after America’s defeat, many Islamic groups and Muslims across the world turned their hopes towards Afghanistan. They viewed it as a starting point for establishing the Deen, breaking colonial borders, and founding the State of the Khilafah. Once again, the opportunity and demand for establishing the Khilafah emerged. Yet similar answers to those of the past are now being heard from the current ruling system in Afghanistan. Those before them also distanced themselves from this demand under the names of realism, expediency, and lack of preparedness, and saw their political survival in dealing with the nation-state order and avoiding the establishment of the Khilafah. Thus, this opportunity too was not properly used for true independence, and colonial concepts and modes of thinking - such as acceptance of the nation-state, realist politics, and the statecraft frameworks of the republic - continued.

However, historical experience has shown that both after the first independence and after the second independence, those who did not respond to the call for the Khilafah and did not use power to establish the Deen ultimately faced transformations and forces they had not expected, and were removed from the scene of governance by those they had never imagined. This is a divine Sunnah: if a people do not view power as a trust from Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and do not use it to implement Islam and manifest His Deen, they are replaced by another people. Therefore, instead of repeating failed experiences, lessons must be learned. One must not be bitten several times from the same hole. Before opportunities are lost, they must be used, and the Rightly Guided Khilafah (Khilafah Rashidah) upon the methodology of the Prophethood must be established. This is the greatest form of gratitude and celebration for the blessing of independence that Allah Almighty has granted us.

[الَّذِينَ إِنْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَلِلَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الْأُمُورِ]

“Those who, if We establish them in the land, establish prayer, give zakat, enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and to Allah belongs the outcome of all matters.” [Al-Hajj: 41]

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Afghanistan