The Taliban, in partnership with the Haqqani network, are still bent on their strategy of systematic assassination of prominent leaders of Afghanistan. The recent killing of BurhanuddinRannabi, the ex-president, chairman of the High Peace Council and a major national figure with mass following, is clearly in line with this nefarious agenda and laid exposed Taliban's true colors.
This decision and strategy of Taliban to target the popular leaders of Afghan nation is a very strong indication that they have prepared their plans for the very long-term. A look at the nature of Taliban throws light on their long-term objectives and whether at all the words dialogue and negotiation find any place in the lexicon of Taliban.
Considering the nature of the Taliban and what constitutes their identity, their single largest goal is to once again bring about a repressive and totalitarian political, social and cultural order in Afghanistan in which reason, logic, truth and human life would have no place and value.
The Talibani mind is a dangerous cocktail of two elements: dogmatic beliefs mixed with primitive and pre-historic notions of self, family, society, culture, power and politics. These two elements, when mixed together in the minds of the Taliban, transforms a so-called Talib — as a member of Taliban — into a savage thug whose barbarity stands unparalleled in history.
Therefore, the Taliban, the very manifestations of naked barbarity, are capable of nothing but thinking, living, believing and acting in no other terms but that of only violence. Violence, killing and murder are programmed into the very genes of this breed.
This, in itself, explains why the so-called peace and reconciliation efforts have been an outright failure so far. When you are dealing with people who understand nothing out of this life but only hatred, violence and suicide, then, very obviously, your pleas for talks and dialogue fall on deaf ears.
It is in line with this reality of who and what the Taliban are that their war machine will stop at nothing short of either being completely annihilated (which is increasingly an impossibility), or once again doing to Afghanistan what they did in 1990s.
The government of Afghanistan, our leaders and policy-makers, the people and grassroots leaders need to be ever vigilant and keep in mind this very nature of Taliban and Talibanism.
In the light of this observation, we have to brace ourselves for yet more machinations and deceitful maneuverings of Taliban in the weeks and months to come.
They are and will be on the prowl to hunt down the very best and brightest of Afghan nation in order to move closer to their vision of a totalitarian dystopia.