On Tuesday, some heinous attacks were carried out in different parts of the country. There were four major attacks – two were carried out in Kabul, one in Helmand and another one in Kandahar. The twin blasts in Kabul was carried out near parliament building, which particularly targeted the parliament staff. The blasts also killed four police force members and a number of staff from the Interior Ministry’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) as well as National Directorate of Security (NDS) forces.
Meanwhile, the attack in Kandahar left 11 officials dead and 16 wounded. Among those killed were five United Arab Emirates (UAE) diplomats. The deputy governor of Kandahar Abdul Ali Shamsi, Faryab senator Sarajuddin Safari, Afghan diplomat in Washington Yama Quraishi and Shah Ahmad Saeed head of Kandahar foreign affairs department were other high ranking officials who lost their lives in the attack. The attack was also aimed at Kandahar police Chief General Abdul Raziq; however, he was unhurt in the attack.
The blast took place inside the guesthouse at the governor’s house at about 8pm and the bombs were fixed inside the sofas that were placed for the guests. UAE Ambassador Juma Mohammed Abdullah al-Kabi was also in the guesthouse when the explosion happened. He was on a visit to Kandahar to participate the inauguration ceremony for an orphanage in the southern city, and he was injured in the blast.
The facts and figures clearly show the magnitude of losses that the attacks have brought to Afghanistan. Some very important officials who had dedicated long periods of their lives for the country and could further play dominant roles in fighting insecurity and insurgency were killed mercilessly. The Kandahar attack also killed UAE officials, which shows that the attack was also aimed at influencing Afghanistan and UAE relations. Definitely, it is a great loss for UAE and even for Afghanistan itself as the officials were there for a positive cause aimed at helping the Afghan orphan children. If such initiatives are sabotaged by insurgents so easily, it would be very difficult for others to pursue such initiatives.
Moreover, the attack in Helmand targeted a peace effort, which was a positive initiative as well. However, such attacks clearly give the signal that peace efforts would not be favored by insurgents. It, at the same time, may also discourage those insurgents who have some willingness to come to negotiation table. It is really imperative for Afghan government and security officials that the efforts that are aimed to target the positive development and valuable human resource must be dispirited properly as it would raise the moral of the security forces and the people of Afghanistan as a whole.
It is also important to note that there were many civilians as well who lost their lives in the attacks. In fact, the civilians in Afghanistan are the ones who have been influenced by insecurity the most. They have been used by Taliban insurgents as means to further their ambitions though they reject that they are involved in civilian killings. Unfortunately, the arrangements to protect the lives of the civilians are almost non-existent, which has made them easy targets by the terrorists.
Afghan government has to keep in consideration that as a result of decades of instability and socio-economic and political problems, the Afghan people have already been suffering from myriads of problems. Though there have been certain important improvements made in the last decade or so, some very concerning issues still exist that threaten the lives of the common people of Afghanistan. There are claims that changes have been brought within Afghan society; however, it should be noted that if the effectiveness of the changes have to be felt or observed, they should be observed by the changes in the lives of the common people. If there is any change in the condition of living of the common people as the outcome of the change; the change should be guarded for and even backed and supported vehemently. If not, either the claim must be discarded as wrong or the efforts should be improved to make the changes effective. And that is what Afghanistan needs to do – it has to improve its efforts to bring about necessary changes in the lives of the common people that have been jeopardized both by insecurity and lack of rudimentary requirements of life.  
Afghan government must therefore get serious in tackling the issue of the insecurity not only to protect valuable human resource but also to build its legitimacy and gain support among the people, who otherwise seem to have lost their hopes about a tranquil and prosperous future. If the people are sure that the present government can strive honestly to provide them security and peace they will definitely join hands together along with the security forces to fight terrorists and terrorism successfully.