The insightful articles, inspiring narrations and analytical perspectives presented by the Editorial Team, establish an alluring connect with the reader. My compliments and best wishes to SP Guide Publications.
"Over the past 60 years, the growth of SP Guide Publications has mirrored the rising stature of Indian Navy. Its well-researched and informative magazines on Defence and Aerospace sector have served to shape an educated opinion of our military personnel, policy makers and the public alike. I wish SP's Publication team continued success, fair winds and following seas in all future endeavour!"
Since, its inception in 1964, SP Guide Publications has consistently demonstrated commitment to high-quality journalism in the aerospace and defence sectors, earning a well-deserved reputation as Asia's largest media house in this domain. I wish SP Guide Publications continued success in its pursuit of excellence.
The long-standing US use of terrorism as a geopolitical instrument and “terror diplomacy” continues to shape American foreign policy and strategic interventions under Donald Trump
 |
The Author is Former Director General of Information Systems and A Special Forces Veteran, Indian Army |
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency have surfaced in recent years, but the currency of terror has been in vogue for the past several decades. The US has been minting the same, as well as being its biggest user. The fact is that the US sponsors terrorism and “uses” terrorists as its proxy boots. The US was behind the rise of Mujahidin (predecessor of Taliban) to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan. It also was behind the rise, arming and training of the ISIS in Turkey and then letting them loose in Iraq-Syria. Same was the case in the rise of other terrorist organisations, like Jabhat al-Nusra.
In conjunction with Pakistan, the US deliberately gifted billions worth of weapon, weapon systems and armament while withdrawing from Afghanistan in August 2021. The US has been paying $40 million per week to Afghanistan despite the UN report of July 2024 stating that the Taliban supports TTP-AQIS alliance carrying out attacks under the name of Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan.
The fact is that the US sponsors terrorism and “uses” terrorists as its proxy boots
Pakistan was let off the “Grey List” of the FATF, courtesy the US. Same goes for the IMF and World Bank loans now granted to Pakistan. To top this, Pakistan is to now chair the Taliban Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in 2025 and serve as vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the 15-nation UN body.
Despite the so-called IMF pressure, Pakistan hiked its defence budget by 20 per cent; allocating PKR 2.55 trillion (about ₹76,500 crore for defence in FY26. It is on record that the US has been funding the Taliban and has ignored the genocide perpetrated in Balochistan over the past decades by Pakistan, supported by China. Pakistan is now employing ISKP-K against the Baloch fighters. It is well known that the ISKP-K was raised by Pakistan (with full knowledge of the CIA, by amalgamation cadres of the Taliban, TTP, LeT and the ISI) in Peshawar and pushed west into Afghanistan.
The US has been supporting and using not only ISIS and Al Qaeda, but also funding a dozen other terrorist organisations in concert with Qatar (global financier of terrorist organisations), including El Shabab in Somalia, Hamzi network in Sudan, Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Yemen, and Haya Tahr Al Shams in Syria. It may be recalled that General Michael Kurilla, Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) has praised Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in counterterrorism efforts, noting that despite limited intelligence support, Pakistan has actively pursued ISIS-K operatives, leading to tangible impacts on the group's activities.
Scottish analyst Craig Murray says ISIS never attacks Israel because they're sponsored by Israel and the CIA. Moreover, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently admitted using ISIS in Gaza. The US was also behind the Gen Z coups in Nepal and Bangladesh. It was covered in these columns earlier how the US is linked to ISIS and Al Qaeda, how the US installed the anti-India radical Islamist Interim Regime in Dhaka, the CIA-MI6-ISI nexus.
The US has been supporting and using not only ISIS and Al Qaeda, but also funding a dozen other terrorist organisations
US President Donald Trump has developed a special love for Pakistan, hosting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir in the White House more than once. This is not only because they support awarding a Nobel Peace Prize to Trump, but also because Pakistan has offered rare earth elements (REEs) to Pakistan and a US-Pakistan crypto currency deal financially benefits Trump's family. The fact that Donald Trump appointed LeT-trained Ismail Royer in the White House Religious Liberty Commission Advisory Board, also indicates how much Trump loves Pakistan and terrorism.
The CIA successfully engineered the regime change in Syria and installed Ahmed al-Sharaa, former Al Qaeda commander as the President in Damascus. Courtesy the US, Sharaa addressed the United Nations and was also hosted by Donald Trump in the White House. Currently, Syrian fighters are being trained in three locations in Turkey, as rejuvenation of Al Qaeda, for future use as boots on ground by the US. Sharaa is also providing fighters to support Israel's ground offensive in Lebanon.
Sharaa is only one of the terror diplomacy ventures of the US among many, one earlier example being establishing the Muslim Brotherhood regime to rule Egypt. But the most prominent recent example is Pakistan negotiating the US-Iran ceasefire deal. This, despite a recent US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report cites Pakistan continuing to harbour 15 major terrorist groups. No doubt Egypt, and Turkey also played a role in Pakistan being chosen as the mediator, but the real influence came through informal channels, especially Pakistan's access and sway within segments of the Trump-era political landscape in Washington.
The CIA successfully engineered the regime change in Syria and installed Ahmed al-Sharaa, former Al Qaeda commander as the President in Damascus
Pakistan mediating the two-week US-Iran ceasefire is attracting global praise. Washington-based Indian-American journalist posted on X: “Whichever way you slice it, this is a huge diplomatic win for Pakistan. Islamabad comes across as a responsible actor with enough trust in key world capitals to help avert a potential global catastrophe.” Another Indo-American wrote on social media: “And this is how global politics is played and running rings around our super smart External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.”
Whether the US-Iran negotiations through Pakistan can succeed is a huge question mark because Trump wants control of the Straits of Hormuz to charge tolls, which Iran is opposed to. But Trump has expressed happiness over the death of Robert S. Mueller, FBI Director during 9/11, who had disclosed the JFK Assassination (1963). RFK Assassination (1968), World Trade Centre bombing (1993), Oklahoma City Bombing (1995) and 9/11 in 2001 were all planned and executed by the highest US government levels, all of which indicates the heinous mentality of the US.
Finally, America's use of the currency of terror and terror diplomacy will continue to be optimised under Donald Trump.
