On the eve of Afghan New Year or Nawroz the Taliban executed one of their most heinous plans turning all the joy of people into a tragedy. Four terrorists who were successful to enter one of the most luxurious hotels, Kabul Serena, killed nine people. Among the killed ones are AFP journalist Sardar Ahmad along with his wife and two of his three children. While this barbaric act of Taliban has been widely condemned across the nation, it has been established that life of no one is safe even in the most fortified places of the capital.
This terrifying incident signals that the Taliban continues to possess the capability of launching such coordinated attacks challenging and undermining the writ of the government in heart of Afghanistan’s capital. The incident has brought a great discredit to the government that has been releasing hundreds of insurgents from prisons over the past one year without any proper trails.
The Taliban have once again proved they only look like humans but bear no characteristics of true human beings. If they killed Sardar Ahmad on the grounds of his attachment to the profession of journalism, the killing of his wife and children cannot be justifiable in any religion. Taliban have now entered into a very dirty part of their fight against the Afghan government. Taliban would not spare life of anyone be it military personnel or civilians to further their fight against the government and its international backers. They have been attacking schools, offices, military caravans, bridges, common passenger vehicles and etc in all parts of the country. They kill thousands of people women and children every year.
Afghanistan is continuously becoming a dangerous place for safe living. Even journalists who have the duty reporting impartially on activities of all groups involved in the Afghan conflict are being brutally targeted. Journalism has always been a risky profession in countries like Afghanistan. In the last 12 years considered a new era for Afghanistan in regards of freedom of expression, several Afghan journalists have been targeted and then forgotten. Journalists are the most vulnerable professionals in Afghanistan who are provided no security against terrorists, war lords, mafia and other criminal groups.
Taliban attacks, whether they kill civilians or journalists are painful for each and every sensible Afghan. But what is more painful is the attitude of Afghan government towards them. The soft instance kept by Hamid Karzai administration towards Taliban is being condemned widely. In spite of that it never leaves an opportunity to show sympathy towards them.