All the fuss about defeat of insurgents in Afghanistan and trumpets blown for victory against terrorism turn pale when we witness more and more dying on daily basis as result of lingering war on terror. Against the abundant weighty claims about improvement in security condition in Afghanistan, insurgents remain potent of targeting foreign and Afghan troops and civilians.

Death tolls on both military and civilian sides have gone increasing with the passage of time. Amid the NATO plans to get out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, security condition is expected to worsen further. Taliban's attacks are to intensify. After all, they have started dreaming of regaining power in Afghanistan, after the US and its allies withdraw. And for that they will fight with more zeal and higher spirit than before.

Senior Al-Qaida leaders, including Osama bin Laden, are dead and apparently, the backbone of the once-number-one terror network has been broken and it cannot operate in Af-Pak region as it used to. At the same time, the number of Al-Qaida fighters present in Afghanistan is being referred as 'negligible' by Afghan and US authorities. Nevertheless, as compared to Al-Qaida, Taliban leadership is still alive and plan and coordinate its fighters' activities in Afghanistan. Taliban are so efficient that they are even believed to have their own parallel government and provincial and district governors.

In a noteworthy number of districts, especially those located in southern provinces, still Shariah-like laws apply. The Taliban have successfully maintained their influence and control in those districts in the last ten years. People have to consult them for resolving their legal and other sorts of disputes and issues. In such districts, the Afghan government is so weak that it has terribly failed to keep the schools open, let alone extending rule of law and working for betterment of human and women rights.

Taliban's suicide bombing, IED attacks, targeted killings and direct assaults have increasingly continued in the last decade, despite the huge deployment of US-led NATO force. One can clearly imagine what the condition of Afghanistan would be in the absence of international security forces. There is no doubt that insurgents' activities will intensify. It is not clear how the Afghan government, which has been showing somehow of sympathy for Taliban, will be able to counter the condition without present support.