Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

People Against Evil Forces of Destruction

For the last one decade, on one side human rights, women's rights, freedom, elected government, education and progress have been the predominant discourse subscribed by Afghan people. On the other side, the barbarity, terrorism, explosions, destruction of schools, killing of innocent people and pouring acid on the faces of schoolgirls have been the core of the logic set against the above-mentioned discourse.

Resistance to change and development is a fundamental component of the ideology that drives the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and in the region. But the people of Afghanistan want change and development and want to live a life of dignity. They want the logic of force and fear be changed into logic of reason and love. On Wednesday last week, Joint Command Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Michael Krause stated that local Afghans are increasingly turning against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. He said that the trend was reflected in information being given by Afghans against the extremist groups. He also apprised of abhorrent tactics used by the terrorists and Taliban insurgents, saying "And we are seeing quite extreme, desperate and, indeed, sickening tactics on behalf of the insurgents, such as using 12-year-old children as suicide bombers. We saw the other day the rigging of an ambulance as a vehicle-borne IED."

Often time it is the leadership of the country that leads the people into confusion and perplexity. Afghan authorities have been using just Afghan emotion in a wrong direction and have never been able to mobilize them against the enemies and forces of destruction, both internal and external. Oddly enough, recently there have been growing debates at government level as well as by the circles that want another opportunity lost on national sovereignty of the country. These emotion-based discussions could just perpetuate the ills facing the country.

It is clear that Afghan people do not want to return to age of darkness and they do not want to deprive their sons and daughters from education anymore because they know that in their religion of Islam acquiring education is compulsory for both male and female Muslims. History shows that ordinary Afghans have fought against evil forces, both internal and external, very bravely but at the end it was the leaders that led the country into chaos and disaster.

As people have become more willing to support the government and international forces against terrorists, Afghan authorities must begin to mobilize for the purpose of peace, which should be founded, as stated by the UNESCO Constitution, "upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind." Of course, terrorist Taliban and their Al-Qaeda allies do not share such solidarity with mankind in general and Afghan people in particular.