Afghanistan Times
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Insecurity is hanging like a mill-stone round the neck of policymakers in the power corridors as terrorism has claimed lives of 1,601 civilians and left 3,565 injured in the first half of the current year. Over 260 people were killed and 799 wounded alone in the capital city, Kabul. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented 5,166 civilian casualties since January. In its report, released on Monday, UNAMA said that there was an increase of four percent in civilian casualties as compared to the first half of the last year. One-third of casualties are children.
The casualties indicate that the big bones and large muscles are ruling the country in absence of result-oriented policies. Military strategies and security policies of the government do not hold water as indicated by the increase in civilian casualties. The option of home-made solutions to deal with extremism and terrorism is missing from the table. There is no ‘Plan B’ to counter the foreign elements that are hell-bent on destabilizing the country. We know that who are holding with the hare and running with the hounds to pursue their nefarious strategic goals in Afghanistan. Yet, we are waiting for the dust of mistrust to settle. We are moving without a concrete and comprehensive plan to counter the foes at strategic front.
Foreign interference is the leading cause of terrorism in the country. However, the policymakers badly failed in preventing certain countries from backing insurgency in Afghanistan despite support of the NATO member states. Perhaps, the largest military organization in the country has presence for its own interests with no intention to go beyond Afghan frontiers and target the nurseries of terrorists. It is failure of the Afghan authorities that they had not convinced them to destroy the terror centers in the region from where terrorists come and attack Afghan civilians and security forces.
The government should mull over the issue of insecurity seriously and engage the regional and global players to eliminate the terrorist groups as the country has been plagued by war for very long time. Big guns in the region and the United States in particularly should go to the depth of the problem to help Kabul and prevent violence from spreading. The relevant authorities should host an anti-terror summit to garner support for good and all. Moreover, the super power and her NATO allies should deliver on their promises by leading the war against terrorism to its ultimate end. Thousands of Afghans were killed and injured in the past decade but the war on terror is not moving in the direction outlined by the White House and NATO. No doubt that their sincere efforts would materialize the dream of Afghan nation—to see the halcyon days of Afghanistan once again. Besides attracting foreign support, Afghan government has to revamp its security strategies and foreign policy.
