The Afghan government Thursday announced that striving for peace with the Taliban is no longer a priority as the insurgent group has no mercy on the people.
Government accused the hardline movement of deliberately killing innocent Afghans.
This comes just three days after Taliban insurgents detonated a truck bomb outside an intelligence facility in Kabul. Three insurgents then stormed the compound and gunned down dozens of people.
Officials have confirmed that at least 64 people were killed in the attack and over 340 wounded, of which hundreds were civilians.
Government officials on Thursday meanwhile vowed to repress the resurgent group.
Those intending to wage war will be eliminated, said Tawab Ghorzang, a spokesman for the National Security Council.
“Our topmost priority is to deal with the Taliban with war as we maintain responsibility to ensure the security of our people,” Ghorzang said.
In an unprecedented move, the Afghan Presidential Palace has also accused the Taliban of deliberately killing innocent Afghan people.
“This is not a war, their war is to kill the innocent people,” a deputy presidential spokesman Dawa Khan Menapal said.
On the military side, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has also said that the Afghan forces will use all available resources to eliminate the Taliban as it does not have mercy on civilians.
“Already the planes delivered to us by India are operational on the operation line including the Super Tucano helicopters which have started their operations,” defense ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said.
The shift in government’s Taliban policy comes after Kabul’s constant pleas in the past few months to the Taliban to endorse peace talks aimed at curbing violence and restoring peace in the war-torn country. The call was however officially rejected in early March by the Taliban, which instead officially launched its so-called spring offensive last week.
As embattled Afghan security forces continue their military campaigns against Taliban on multiple fronts, the new policy shift no doubt will increase the burden on these forces, said some critics.
“Security forces are ordered to use all their energy to repress the militant groups,” said Jawed Faisal, a deputy spokesman for CEO Abdullah Abdullah.
Although Afghan forces still face some issues in terms of war management and coordination, troops do appear to be in better control of the war this year – especially with increased air support, say experts.
Government’s declaration of war against Taliban meanwhile comes at a time that Afghan forces still face challenges – something which has sparked major criticism in the past. Analysts have blasted government in the past over poor leadership of the war against the Taliban.
In the wake of new developments on military fronts, people have asked what direction is the ongoing conflict in the country taking.
“The only solution is that the two sides come together, discuss their differences and find a settlement,” head of Hizb-e-Mahaz-e-Milli party Sayed Hamid Gillani said.
Recent developments have however, left the Afghan government no option but to take a strong military standpoint against the Taliban, say experts. But this move is confusing to the Afghan people, who are the biggest victims in this war. They in turn ask what will the fate of their country be if government moves ahead from a military point of view against the Taliban.http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/24900-afghan-govt-takes-hard-stance-against-taliban
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