Afghanistan: A sacrificial lamb of insurgency
The systematic attacks against Shiite ethnic group in Afghanistan by the self-proclaimed Islamic State group reveals its ugly intention to stoke sectarian violence and sow the seeds of discord between Afghan people.
Wednesday’s deadly suicide attack on an educational center in Kabul, which killed dozens of young men and women from the Shiite community, show the IS will continue its organized attacks against ethnic groups. With the emergence of the group, an overwhelming number of Shiites have come under attacks in mosques, educational centers, streets, etc.
With the escalated militancy following the establishment of the National Unity Government in 2014, the gap between state and nation has grown wider since the public believe the current government has not been able to address the challenges, mainly the security crisis.
Despite the mouthwatering promises made by President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah during their presidential campaigns, the political and economic troubles have mushroomed. Afghans continue to suffer severely in the wake of unmitigated insurgency, corruption and political discord.
With the upcoming provincial and parliamentary elections, there are two major challenges ahead.
First, a number of Afghans are not willing enough to participate, believing that their votes will make no changes similar to those of the 2014 presidential election.
Second, the intensified terrorist attacks pose a serious threat to citizens and hamper fair elections.
Constitutionally, elections should be “free, general, secret and direct”. However, after the Taliban’s attacks on Ghazni province last week, the so-called Independent Election Commission declared that Ghazni will not be included in the vote.
This decision indicates that the election will not be “free, fair and general” at all and Ghazni residents who are ready to send their representatives to parliament will be deprived of their suffrage.
As a result of injustice and insecurity, the Afghan people have lost their faith both in government and foreign troops, especially since insecurity continues unabated despite more than a decade of the presence of US-led NATO forces in the country.
Meanwhile, the peace process seems a ridiculous, futile notion. The Afghan High Peace Council, established in 2010, has gained no achievements so far. Therefore, the government has to stop this hullabaloo and practice the maxim of “if you want peace, prepare for war”.
Moreover, the international community and United Nations peacekeeping forces should take action to resolve the protracted conflict in Afghanistan and put an end to civilian casualties.
If the bloodbath continues without being shown concern by the UN, it will be a stain on the collective conscience. The world will have to join forces to stop the ongoing violence and violation of humanitarian law by militants not only in Afghanistan but in the entire region.