The harmony in major cities of Afghanistan is once again vanishing. In a period of less than a week there have been several major attacks at three different cities. The heralds of peace talks and peaceful end to the so-called war against terrorism seem nothing more than empty promises.
According to the news reports, a bomb exploded yesterday, May 20, in Pul-e Khumri, the capital of northern Baghlan province. It killed at least 13 people including Muhammad Rasool Mohsini, Head of Provincial Council and his bodyguards. The suicide bomber detonated his explosive-packed jacket as soon as Mohsini entered his office.
Few days earlier on Thursday, May 17, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden car close to US military vehicles in Shah Shaheed area of Kabul resulting in the death of at least 16 people, including women, children and six American military advisers. On the very next day, two car bombs killed nine and injured several others in southern province of Kandahar.
For the last few years Taliban have come up with different tactics. They have adopted to carry out lethal attacks in different parts of country which happen to be important in some way or the other. Their main objective has been to let the Afghan authorities and people know that they still have the potential to target any place they want – even the most guarded places.
On the other hand they have also carried out deadly assaults on VIP's; depicting that no one is safe against them. Though their attacks are not like that of a traditional war and have not helped them gain control of the places they attack, they have been able to cast a lasting impact of terror on people's psychology. Today, it is very difficult to think that there is any secure place in Afghanistan that cannot be targeted by Taliban. Moreover, people are psychologically threatened as they fear that Taliban have the capacity to attack any place any time.
It is important to note the nature of the attacks that are carried out by them in different places. In most of their recent attacks they are able to penetrate through a well-guarded and important place, choose a building, strengthen their position over there and keep on targeting the surroundings that happen to be significant government and international buildings, unless they are shot down by the security forces. On most of the occasions they have been able to occupy the place and vie for several hours.
By the time they are dead they have already initiated a wave of fear that travels throughout the area. It is unfortunate to note that Afghan security forces and intelligence agency have not been able to counter their tactics appropriately. It is correct that Afghan forces have fought well soon after the assaults, but it is really important that such attacks should be figured out, as has happened in this particular incident, before they are carried out and Afghan intelligence agency has to play a dominant role in this regard.
Taliban have also been able to spread terror through their tactic of IED attacks. So far many civilians and security forces have been targeted by IEDs. Taliban, on various occasions, have claimed that they would not target the civilians directly but the reality about attempts mentioned above is totally against what is claimed by them. Though a recent UN report revealed that there has been a decline in the civilian casualties in the ongoing year as compared to the same period last year, the concerns still remain very much disturbing as the number of civilians being killed as a result of insurgency still remains very high. The report also disclosed that about 80 percent of the civilian-killings resulted from the attacks of the Taliban insurgents.
Civilian killings, therefore, clearly depict that Taliban do not care much about the civilian casualties; what they mostly care about is their threat and dominancy over the security arrangements. The report also depicted that the IEDs still remain the most deadly for civilians as they caused 29 percent of the casualties.
The common masses in Afghanistan must bother about the deterioration in security as they are basically the ones who have been suffering and may suffer to a further extent if instability and terrorism prevail in the country. It is really pathetic to see the civilians losing their lives when they have nothing to do with the war. In the economically unstable and war-torn country like Afghanistan, people have not only suffered the hardships of the poor and miserable lives but also the horrors of war.
They have been killed mercilessly as if their lives do not have any value or meaning and it is important to see that the Taliban are mostly behind the demise of the poor civilians. It is really unfortunate to note that they still remain powerful enough to conduct their merciless efforts to target the civilians in addition to the Afghan and international forces. Different attacks, bombings, shootings and suicide bombings of the vicious guardians of the so-called holy war have only been able to target the children, women and non-military figures. With the presence of such facts, it is weird to find Taliban calling themselves friendly to Afghan people.
It is important to see that Taliban are changing their tactics; therefore the Afghan security forces need to face them with the required preparations. With the changes in the tactics of the militants, it is necessary that there should be changes within the tactics of the security forces to counter them. There is no doubt that Afghan security force have kept on gaining strength in the last few years. At the same time it is necessary to gauge their capability appropriately and realistically. While praising them for their achievements, it is necessary to highlight their shortcomings as well so that they are able to tackle the situation appropriately.
With the changing nature of the war and the growing responsibility on them, it is necessary that they must be prepared and equipped in the same manner so that they fulfill the growing necessities of time. How well the Afghan security forces are trained and they are ready depends on how well they will counter the Taliban insurgents in the times to come.