USA TODAY International Edition
Longest U. S. war takes horrific turn in Kabul
Blast that killed at least 90 is a grim reminder that Afghanistan conflict remains a stalemate
A massive truck bombing in Kabul that killed at least 90 people Wednesday highlights the stark choices facing President Trump as he tries to alter the course of a war in Afghanistan that has dragged on for more than 15 years and is characterized by commanders as a stalemate.
The blast ripped through the diplomatic quarter of the Afghan capital Wednesday and left the city in shock. More than 400 people were wounded. Officials said the explosives were hidden in a tanker truck and detonated during rush hour near Zambaq Square in the center of Kabul, and most of the wounded were civilians, including women and children.
The bombing is the latest example of how insurgents can infiltrate the country’s capital in a supposedly secure part of the city near embassies and government offices. The attack appeared to be sophisticated and well- planned, because the truck carrying the bomb got through multiple layers of security inside the city.
“There could have been cooperation with Afghan security
forces or, at a minimum, very detailed planning and coordination,” said Jack Keane, a retired Army general.
The Taliban denied any connection to Wednesday’s bombing. But the fundamentalist movement has grown stronger in parts of the countryside, and followers of the Islamic State are emerging as a growing threat. U. S.- backed Afghan forces have been taking heavy casualties as they struggle to contain the insurgency.
The attack comes as the White House is weighing a request from military commanders to add more American troops to train and support Afghanistan’s security forces. NATO has about 13,500 troops in Afghanistan, including about 8,400 U. S. forces.
The top commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. John Nicholson, has said several thousand more troops are needed to turn the tide of war, which he has described as a stalemate.
Trump traveled to Brussels last week and discussed the conflict with his NATO counterparts, who are also being asked to boost troop levels.
“With the status quo the war is not winnable,” Keane said. “President Trump is facing an indefinite protracted war if nothing is done, and if we pull away, Afghanistan turns back into a terrorist safe haven.
“Alternatively, we can do something that is decisive. The Taliban should have been defeated and a political settlement should have been reached years ago.”