Over the last two years or so, there have been a number of public uprisings against the Taliban militants in various provinces of Afghanistan. Last spring the people in Andar district of Ghazni province fought the Taliban and their foreign friends, killed many of them and forcefully drove the remaining out of their villages.

Uprisings against Taliban have not remained confined only to Andar district but since the last month, the people in Panjwai district of Kandahar province have stood firmly against the militants. Reportedly, their movement has spread to dozens of other districts of Kandahar. It is welcoming that the people are turning against the Taliban in their spiritual heartland – Kandahar – which was the capital of Taliban’s Emirate of Afghanistan.

Providing security to the people is the responsibility of the government. But when the government is not completely able to fulfill its responsibility, then no option remains except that the people themselves defend their areas. If the people are not satisfied with the performance of Afghan government, they are also sick of Taliban who use their houses as shelters, demand food from them and force them to fight against foreign forces in Afghanistan and ANSF.

In provinces where Taliban have been restricting people’s social and economic activities, the people must stand against them and/or support the security forces by providing important information about insurgents hideouts. Meanwhile, the people who rise against the militants must be supported by the government. The militants mostly threaten of taking revenge.

In the not-so-far future, Afghans will have to defend their country on their own. The process of transition of security responsibilities from NATO troops to ANSF is expected to complete in the next few months. After the complete withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan in 2014, the ANSF has to defend Afghanistan. It would be difficult for ANSF to fulfill that responsibility until and unless it has support from within the people.   

At the same time, local people are also useful sources of information about insurgents and their activities, especially in volatile southern provinces. In Afghan society, it is very difficult for security forces to recognize the insurgents who hide among civilian population wearing clothing similar to that of local people. It is the common Afghans who have better knowledge about people activities in their districts. Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of every Afghan to report suspicious people and movements to ANSF.

Public uprisings against militants must be guided and monitored by the Afghan government or else such movements may be accompanied with unwanted outcomes. Such uprisings deliver the message that Afghans no longer want the Taliban to govern them.