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

Kabul Bombing: Taliban Indifferent to Civilian Lives

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Kabul Bombing: Taliban Indifferent to Civilian Lives

The deadly bombing that rocked Kabul city on Tuesday epitomized Taliban’s spring offensive, codenamed for this year as Omari operation: soft targets such government buildings in populated areas are among key targets of the Taliban. Tuesday bombing in Kabul was the most brazen attack by the militants organized only a few days after the militant group announced start of its spring fighting. The Taliban had warned of large scale attacks targeting security forces, government institutions as well as taking territories from government forces. Perhaps the Tuesday bombing was the first of such attacks that targeted a heavily populated area and had incredibly high tolls from the civilians. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Like in the recent years, the Taliban seem to be focusing on organizing high-profile and spectacular attacks on public, government and military institutions. The Tuesday Kabul bombing draws similar pattern with previous large-scale militant attacks on security installations, government offices and public institutions. In such attacks, the militants organize assaults on key targets using bombing or suicide attackers who breach defenses and open the way for other assailants. These attacks have been highly devastating and deadly and have been used more frequently by the militants. Organizing such attacks seems to be particularly aimed at raging higher level of havoc and destruction as well as inflicting higher number of casualties.
Targeting vulnerable areas like government offices in populated areas indicate the Taliban’s indifference to lives of the innocent civilians. Deliberately targeting areas that are populated by civilians and organizing attacks that harms the lives of the innocents is gross violation of basic Islamic and humanitarian principles. By organizing such attacks, the Taliban shun the very sacred principles and teachings of Islam and those of humanity. Despite the militants’ claims of being concerned for safety of civilians, the Taliban has always refused to respect international war laws and regulations and avoid endangering the civilian population. A recent report released by the UN attributed the largest part of civilian casualties to the Taliban and the rest of the militant groups.
The Taliban’s attacks on civilian areas and the high rate of casualties is devastatingly harmful for the public confidence to the overall situation in the country and the capability of the government and the Afghan national security forces for maintaining security and order in the country. These attacks and their aftermaths are more harmful than any other means of warfare and violence employed by the militant groups. Large-scale assaults on urban and populated areas potentially undermine government efforts to restore public confidence to the ongoing efforts for stabilizing the country and the prospect for future. Many Afghans remain deeply pessimistic to the current situation and the prospect of the country’s future stability.
The Taliban are well aware of the potential harms that the group’s large-scale attacks on civilian-populated areas inflict to the public confidence general views of the overall situation. It is part of the Taliban’s strategy to target not only physical targets such as government institutions and security forces but also the morale of the Afghans and public confidence to the state and the Afghan security agencies. For countering Taliban’s campaign of attrition of public confidence, the government must do more to boost governance and the economy and fix flaws that exist in the structure of the country’s political system. Economic and political development progresses will help the government to win hearts and minds of the people and minimize the impacts of the Taliban’s campaign of violence and destruction.
However, the day-to-day violence which affects lives of the innocent civilians and Taliban’s deliberately targeting civilian populated areas is leading to further public alienation to the Taliban and their hardline ideology. This is a fact which the Taliban seem to be ignoring. The militant group also may have the false delusions that they will eventually win hearts and minds of the public after they make victories and gain power. However, the shocking high level of civilian casualties and Taliban’s deliberate attacks on civilian-populated areas has profound and long-term consequences for the Taliban too. As result of Taliban atrocities, the mainstream harbor deep resentments to the militants and their harsh ideology. During last fifteen years, Afghanistan’s social order has undergone profound transformations. The Taliban’s indifferent assaults on civilian areas further build on the public resentments to the militant groups.
There is need for promotion of some sort of national awakening against the militant groups. There must be initiatives to help the public to condemn the atrocities that the militant groups commit on daily basis. All social classes have their own specific responsibilities to speak out against atrocities and war crimes no matter committed by the Taliban or any other side of the conflict. Civil organizations, human rights groups and clerical bodies such as the Ulema council and its members serving for the mosques’ prayers all have to do their share of responsibility to condemn war atrocities to the civilians. On the other hand, the government must call on the civil organizations and other central and local non-government bodies to organize and start ceremonial programs and demonstrate against the indifference of the militant groups to the lives of civilians.

The international community and world bodies like the United Nations must act and condemn the Tuesday deadly bombing in Kabul as a war crime. The UN should send a clear and unanimous message to the Taliban over their strategy of violence and destruction and their indifference to safety of civilian population.

Abdul Ahad Bahrami is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at ahad.bahrami@gmail.com

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