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

Hope Ulema Take notice of the Fragility of the Situation

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Hope Ulema Take notice of the Fragility of the Situation

On Friday February 02, 2012 a suicide bomber on a motorcycle attacked a NATO convoy in the southern province of Kandahar, wounding seven people including four soldiers and an official. Reportedly, he rammed his motorcycle into a convoy of NATO troops in Dand district. The attack was confirmed by NATO spokesman but details are not provided.
Early this week, a suicide car bombing attacked the Nangarhar airport, killing nine people but no foreign soldiers, though claimed that the attack was carried out exactly when night time guards were changing duty to morning guards.

As usual, Taliban claimed the responsibilities for attacks, saying they were carried out in revenge to Koran burning at Bagram US military base. After the incident, they vowed to target foreign security forces in revenge to their desecration. Taliban militants also asked Afghan security forces to turn against foreign countries and force them end occupation.

Their calls seemingly heard vividly by their sympathizers within the security establishment and administration in general.
During past 10 days, since the eruption of anti-US and anti-NATO protests across the country, around six American soldiers have been killed by their Afghan fellows. The most terrible incident happened at the heart of Kabul city in the very strongly barricaded building of Ministry of interior, two American officers were shot dead by reportedly a Taliban militants' sympathizer.

There is still no thorough clarification of the incident. Day after the attack, ministry of interior officials said that accused was a driver, staying in the same floor where American officers found death. They also added that efforts continue to hunt the perpetrator, but I am not aware whether was he arrested or not? If yes, did he has accomplice within the ministry? Because the attack looks quite difficult to be carried out by an individual which is also in such barricaded building.

The attack was consequential. The NATO commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, right after the incident, said that it would not have gone without response. Many countries decided to pull out their staffs working in and around Kabul ministries for security precautions.

On Thursday too, two American soldiers were killed by Afghan soldier at a military outpost in Kandahar, the former capital of Taliban regime. It should be emphasized that foreign casualties by Afghan associates, during past ten days, are larger then Taliban-led militants ones.

The series of attacks by Afghan associates have set the country on rollercoaster of confusion and darkness. There is no data based on which to draw a graph and portray the level of mistrust between foreign and Afghan forces, but it can be claimed that the occasional incidents have dealt terrible impact. The recent Koran burning incidents and killing of foreign forces by Afghan associates has further complicated the situation. NATO and ISAF seemingly have taken measures to prevent possible terrible attacks. It is not clear when foreign staffs and employees would return back to ministries and government agencies.

Though both Afghan and foreign official try to show that the situation is not bad and everything is under the control, but clearly mistrust has crept in.
Many times foreign allies were targeted by Afghan soldiers, infiltrators and militants wearing the uniforms of Afghan soldiers and police. Efforts to stop such attacks have yet failed to achieve the intended results. There is no clear strategy to recognize infiltrators. I have already written an article explaining about the procedure of recruitment and communal balance, which I think have paved the way for insurgents to work as police or soldier and, on the right, shot dead their colleagues.

What is important to be noticed is this that the unfortunate incident has further complicated the situation. I one of local news Paper, there were reports about regional Arab countries, keeping silence to Koran burning. Sharing their views, readers were mad against them and one wrote that he recently joint militants to carry out Jihad.

But foreign allies have remained committed at least in political and diplomatic level. Few days ago, General John Allen said that the anti-US protests and attacks would not shake the long-term commitment of foreign allies. He said he was ready to go within the Ministry of Interior without arm in order to show that nothing was wrong.

On the other part, there are traditionalists and Afghan religious scholars. Since the eruption of anti-US protests, they largely directed demonstrations, as the violence and the first Friday after Koran burning in Bagram airfield, obviously showed.

Religious scholars did not come short yet. They could not, as they claim, stand desecration of Koran and other religious books. They are trying to bring culprit into justice, the thing which looks far-fetched if not impossible.

On Friday, top religious council demanded that those responsible for the burning of Korans at a US military base should be put on public trial, a statement from the president's office said. "The Ulema Council "insists that such a devilish act is not forgivable by apologies, and that the perpetrators of this crime should soon be publicly tried and punished", the statement said.

The council also reiterated that President calls for the handover of Bagram Prison and end to night raids. Would their demands be met? Seemingly, no. If the investigation find some guilty, he or she will not be punished publicly because that is against military of the United States.
Hopefully, Afghan Ulema understand the fragility of the situation and do not fall unintentionally to trap of insurgencies.

Jawad Rahmani is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at jawad_rahmani2001@yahoo.com

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