Politically, Afghanistan is at low point. Insecurity and terrorism loom large and our people are suffering in many ways. Taliban militants have multiplied their acts of murder even as the next presidential and provincial elections are approaching. The temptation of power is still a major aim for the militants.
The terrorist acts carried out by Taliban militants lead to vast human casualties and it is a matter of great concern for Afghan people. Currently, insurgencies are challenging the life of Afghan police and civilians. Let us go through the news about human casualties which were sustained by our people last week and reflecting the daily story of Afghans while no concern is shown by presidential palace.
On Saturday, 1 civilian was killed and 6 more were injured in a suicide bombing in Khan Abad district of Kunduz province. 3 civilians were killed and 1 wounded in a roadside bomb explosion in Urozgan province. All the four victims were the members of the same family.
A bomb explosion left one dead in Kandahar province on Sunday. On Monday, 2 policemen were murdered and 2 more were wounded in an explosion occurred in Dilaram district of Nimroz province. Meanwhile, the guard of Takhar security head was shot to dead on his way to bathroom.
On Tuesday, 6 Afghan National Army (ANA) lost their lives by the explosion of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Kapisa province. A bomb, which was embedded in a fireplace chimney, detonated and left 3 dead, including a child, and 7 injured in Paktia province.
On Wednesday, a vehicle hit to a roadside bomb in Baghlan province which led to the death of 3 civilians. In an armed conflict, 2 police and 2 civilians were killed and 4 police were wounded in Faryab province. In Takhar province, the death of 1 police and 1 civilian was reported.
An explosion occurred on intersection of Sarsabzi in Kabul city on Thursday, left 1 dead and 4 others wounded. A bomb blast on Behsood Bridge in Kandahar province killed two police trainers and injured 5 others.
Hence, overall 29 people, including police and civilians, were killed and 29 others were injured within a week. Moreover, this does not represent the exact number of casualties inflicted on our people. The tragic human casualties, sustained by Afghan civilians and police, are making the daily reports on national and international media.
In addition, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, a presidential candidate, was attacked in Srobi district of Kabul on Wednesday. According to reports, no one sustained casualties in the incident.
To take a retrospective look at Taliban’s regime, they ruled Afghanistan entirely by dictatorship. Afghan people still wince at the tragic memory of Taliban’s regime and their bloody war. In other words, Taliban militants murdered thousands of innocent Muslims without feeling a tinge of guilt. The ghost of Taliban’s nightmare still haunts the hearts and minds of Afghan people. Their unconscionable acts, heinous crime and attitudes towards men, women and children were against Islamic sharia and public morals. History will condemn such acts.
It is too hard to assuage the anguish of Afghans’ bereavement received at the time of Taliban’s regime. They lost their close members of their families which still keep their wounds bleeding. Their mind-boggling cruelties and bloodshed are really revolting. They blackened the history of our country through their inhuman actions.
But more than a decade past, no serious action was taken to eradicate the Taliban insurgents. Conversely, the Taliban prisoners are released from Bagram prison by President Karzai’s decree. Most probably, they have rejoined their groups carrying out acts of terror. The death of Mulavi Abdul Rahman in Ghorband Valley, in a clash between Taliban and on one side and Afghan and US forces on the other side, assures the fact of the fact. He was previously released from Bagram prison and headed a terrorist attack in Parwan province.
Here questions arise that what was the reaction of President Karzai regarding the last week casualties, which included 29 deaths and 29 injuries, inflicted on our people by Taliban militants? The second question is that how the presidential palace would react if the casualties were inflicted by foreign forces? This attitude of Afghan officials will arouse people’s mistrust.
If one asks me the mechanism to be taken against terrorism and how to eradicate them from the country, I will answer as follow:
The 2007 bomb blasts in the UK prompted the International Association of Chiefs of Police to come up with techniques to prevent the suicide bomber form reaching his target. The solution recommended was shooting the suspected bomber in the head. The technique holds out hope for those countries where absolutely no mechanism is in place to stop the living bomb from creating mayhem. Our standing operating procedures to combat suicide bombers are archaic and based on a response strategy. Although, emergency repose agencies must be prepared to respond effectively to suicide bombing, the greatest payoffs lie in preventing such attacks. And it goes without saying that for a smart mechanism a mentoring and threat assessment programme should precede the proactive preventive measures to detect and prevent suicide bombing attempts. Hence, it seems the only mechanism for our officials to prevent terrorism. For this we need a highly efficient intelligence and information gathering network.
I believe that negotiation with Taliban is no more trustworthy and will not be more than a political game. After all, when Taliban show a green light, just for self-interests, Afghan government easily falls for it accepting all their conditions with closed eye. So, if peace talks are going on between the Taliban and Afghan presidential palace, why they do not stop killing Afghan police and civilians?
Hence, it is better for Afghan government to take serious actions against the insurgents so as to prevent from casualties, soon, inflicted on our people. According to my understanding, peace talks mean only talking about peace and this mirage is always reflected real to Afghan officials.