Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024

Attacking the Future of Afghanistan

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Attacking the Future of Afghanistan

Since formation of the National Unity Government, Afghanistan has been facing increasing challenges unprecedented in contemporary history of this country. From Daily occurrence such as kidnapping, armed robberies, killings and suicide bombings became common and rampant. Gunmen kill people and burgle homes in broad daylight, but no action is taken to help remedy the situation. As if the so-called NUG has no ear to hear, no eye to see and thus, the international partners have forgotten all agreements and commitments. In fact, Afghanistan is suffering unforgettable days in its recent history. The failure of security forces to prevent such incidents is not the only problem; their behaviour, their justifications, their repeated negligence in the aftermath of explosions is also of frustrating to citizens. So many times government has established special committee promising to report their performance but non-has been fulfilled yet. People in Afghanistan are using opium to block their pain; the pain of bloodshed, hunger, sickness, losing their sons, daughters and men. Most of the addict women are desperate to blunt the trauma of endless war, mental trauma and unknown future.
Still, the mourning of previous victims have not ended that once again Kabul has shaken by a massive explosion on American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), occurred at around 7:00 PM local time on Wednesday. The sound of the powerful explosion heard several kilometres away in capital Kabul. According to official reports, the deadly attack has ended with 16 dead and 53 injuries which include students, guards, police, men and women. Reportedly, three attackers were involved in the attack: The first attacker detonated a suicide car bomb at the entrance of the University the other two managed to enter the campus. The Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said the attackers were armed with grenades and automatic weapons. The siege of the University lasted almost nine hours, before police killed the two assailants around 3.30 am, he said.   
This university, was established in 2006 and modelled on US colleges, has many foreign staffs and is popular among the country’s small liberal elites. This University was unique in its kinds in Afghanistan. Much of its funding has come from the U.S. Agency for International Development, which administers civilian foreign aid, and today the school has more than 1,700 full- and part-time students. It has produced 29 Fulbright scholars and maintains partnerships with many U.S. colleges, such as Stanford, Georgetown and the University of California system. Also, two people employed by the university were killed in 2014 when a suicide bomber set off an explosion in a Kabul restaurant that was popular with expats.
Such attacks and treats are not new in Afghanistan. Militants are purposefully causing schools and universities to should down or the attendance rates to drop and somewhat they gained their sinister goals. Where schools do not close altogether, each incident influences decisions by parents and students whether to continue to attend school/university and can influence the general perception of whether it is safe for girls and boys to continue to go to school or university. It is given greater social restrictions on girls’ to continue their education. As insecurity is getting worse and has generated fear among families. When they hear about attacks on schools, universities or poisoning incidents in some schools, this really affect them and many parents decide to take their girls out school. So, Physical and mental Security is the most destructive and growing factors to make them leave schools and country for the purpose of reaching better abode. Educations target such as damaging or destruction of schools and universities by arson, poisoning, grenades, mines and rockets; threats to teachers and officials are common practice; students, teachers and other educational staff have been killed and there has been looting. Hence, Thousands of girls and boys are leaving education and country due to stable security concerns and unknown future. While the national unity government and International partners who had agreements and commitments still have not awaken.  But they should understand that they have already crossed the redlines; people may not tolerate anymore.
To conclude with, Attacks on educations are attacks on the future of Afghanistan; thousands of girls and boys abandon schools and universities due to unknown future and endless war. No nation has changed his fate without seeking and protecting educations. Based on expert’s idea, education is the best strategy to a sustainable development and to a secure Afghanistan in the long term. We need to choose it as a top national priority, and as a best way to reaching a peaceful, stable and strong Afghanistan. It is repeated by experts that education is the foundation of all infrastructures which means the whole environmental, social, cultural, political and economic challenges rooted to this great issue. Also the enemies of Afghanistan understand that education is the only tools that can rescue Afghanistan. Therefore and as a historic response to the consecutive attacks on education we have to include education as an obligatory duty in national constitution. And campaign in national and international level to gain financial and technical supports for the purpose of reaching to a sustainable and peaceful Afghanistan.

Mohammad Zahir Akbari is the newly emerging writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at mohammadzahirakbari@ gmail.com

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