Massive attack on Ghazni city proves Taliban still a potent force

In a surprise move, Taliban militants launched massive and multi-pronged attacks on the strategically important Ghazni city, capital of Afghanistan’s eastern Ghazni Province, over the weekend.

Hundreds of insurgents, according to locals and media reports, have left their bastions in Helmand and Wardak provinces to join the Taliban in attacking Ghazni city, 125 kilometers south of Kabul.

The attack, which began in the early hours of last Friday from different directions, according to Ghazni’s police chief Farid Ahmad Mashal, targeted important entities including a police department, national directorate for security and provincial governor’s office.

Afghan political analysts described the massive offensive on Ghazni city as a Taliban maneuver to demonstrate its military power ahead of any political dialogue for achieving a negotiated settlement to Afghanistan’s lingering conflicts.

“Ghazni city is the gate to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The Taliban by launching such a massive offensive on such an important city wants to demonstrate its power to the Afghan government as well as to the world,” retired army general and military-political analyst Atequllah Omarkhil told Xinhua. “They especially want to show those backing the government in Kabul that the Taliban can’t be ignored,” said Omarkhil.

“The Taliban cannot control Ghazni city even if the militant group can capture it,” the expert said. Nevertheless, he believes that the Taliban can get maximum benefit in the propaganda war and claim that it can target any city at any time if it wants.

Afghan observers have also warned that the fall of Ghazni city could destabilize more provinces including Wardak, Paktia and Kandahar bordering Ghazni Province.

The main road linking the Afghan capital city Kabul to the southern provinces including key Kandahar city and western region including Herat passes through Ghazni city, and if the Taliban militants were able to overrun Ghazni city and capture the road, the southern and western regions could be destabilized.

Taliban militants launched the attack on Ghazni amid the Afghan government’s efforts to bring the armed outfit to the negotiating table.

“One of the messages of the attack on Ghazni city is to clarify that the Taliban group can’t be isolated in any talks on Afghanistan,” said the analyst.

The former afghan army general also believes that “Afghan imbroglio can’t be solved militarily and the ongoing fierce fighting in Ghazni in the presence of thousands of the US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan is proof of this fact.”

Echoing the notion, Amanullah Kamrani, the deputy to Ghazni Provincial Council, has warned that overlooking the sensitivity of situation in Ghazni by the central government would lead to the fall of Ghazni and will eventually weaken the security in the neighboring provinces.

The author is a writer with the Xinhua News Agency. The article first appeared in Xinhua. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn