As the USA goes to the polls to either pick a new Democrat President in Joe Biden or reelect Republican incumbent President Donald Trump, the Afghan peace deal between it and the Taliban has gone on the backburner, losing the momentum seen a few months back. This has been accompanied by a deadly increase in violence with at least two major terrorist attacks taking place in the country within a week. Two days back gunmen stormed a university in Kabul, resulting in an hours-long gun battle ending with 22 students dead and as many injured. Earlier, a suicide bombing at an education centre in the same city claimed 24 lives, mostly from Afghanistan’s Shia community. That responsibility for both attacks was claimed by ISIS and targeted educational institutes specifically shows that that a new brand of terrorism is emerging in the country. Although ISIS is but a shadow of its former self, it seems the group is still able to recruit militants to plan and execute attacks on soft targets. Its emergence and evident prominence in Afghanistan adds a dangerous new layer to an already precarious security situation. The Taliban on the other hand are testing the Afghan government and the USA’s resolve by opening up a new offensive in the southern Afghan city of Lashkar Gah last month even though negotiations were ongoing. The USA, despite a ceasefire agreement, was compelled to bomb selected Taliban targets in the same area to defend Afghan troops that had come under attack.
It is clear that there is not going to be any immediate let-up in terrorist activity in Afghanistan. Whatever the result of the US presidential election, the Afghan endgame will remain as complex and difficult a problem as it has remained for the past two decades since the war started. These distressingly high levels of violence should be worrying not only for the US, Afghan government and Taliban negotiators who want a peaceful solution, but also Pakistan whose own stability and security depends on that of Afghanistan. Spoilers such as Taliban fighters not onboard with the peace deal, countries like India operating in the region through agencies and groups like ISIS must be dealt with swiftly with all stakeholders working towards a common goal: a peaceful Afghanistan.https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/11/03/violence-rages-in-afghanistan/
Violence rages in Afghanistan: Editorial in Pakistan Today, Nov 4, 2020
As the USA goes to the polls to either pick a new Democrat President in Joe Biden or reelect Republican incumbent President Donald Trump, the Afghan peace deal between it and the Taliban has gone on the backburner, losing the momentum seen a few months back. This has been accompanied by a deadly increase in violence with at least two major terrorist attacks taking place in the country within a week. Two days back gunmen stormed a university in Kabul, resulting in an hours-long gun battle ending with 22 students dead and as many injured. Earlier, a suicide bombing at an education centre in the same city claimed 24 lives, mostly from Afghanistan’s Shia community. That responsibility for both attacks was claimed by ISIS and targeted educational institutes specifically shows that that a new brand of terrorism is emerging in the country. Although ISIS is but a shadow of its former self, it seems the group is still able to recruit militants to plan and execute attacks on soft targets. Its emergence and evident prominence in Afghanistan adds a dangerous new layer to an already precarious security situation. The Taliban on the other hand are testing the Afghan government and the USA’s resolve by opening up a new offensive in the southern Afghan city of Lashkar Gah last month even though negotiations were ongoing. The USA, despite a ceasefire agreement, was compelled to bomb selected Taliban targets in the same area to defend Afghan troops that had come under attack.
It is clear that there is not going to be any immediate let-up in terrorist activity in Afghanistan. Whatever the result of the US presidential election, the Afghan endgame will remain as complex and difficult a problem as it has remained for the past two decades since the war started. These distressingly high levels of violence should be worrying not only for the US, Afghan government and Taliban negotiators who want a peaceful solution, but also Pakistan whose own stability and security depends on that of Afghanistan. Spoilers such as Taliban fighters not onboard with the peace deal, countries like India operating in the region through agencies and groups like ISIS must be dealt with swiftly with all stakeholders working towards a common goal: a peaceful Afghanistan.https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/11/03/violence-rages-in-afghanistan/
Published in Afghanistan, Pak Media comment, Pakistan and Paktalibanization