Disabusing the people of Afghanistan of the notion that there are any safe havens in the country, a brutal terror attack in the capital city of Kabul left as many as 14 dead, foreigners included. The target was a restaurant that usually catered to international patrons as well as locals who were under the illusion that they were relatively safe there. All it took was an armed attack and a suicide bomber to dispel that illusion. Kabul has always been a target of the Taliban but, because it is a heavily guarded city, it has not suffered as much damage as the rest of the country, notwithstanding attacks from time to time, particularly on guesthouses where foreigners live and even the NATO compound. Maybe the long hiatus since the last such attack is why Kabul’s denizens had been lulled into a sense of complacency. That will not survive this incident. The Taliban have claimed responsibility, ominously suggesting that with the US withdrawal by December this year, the situation looks ripe for recapturing power by the Taliban. No matter how much security is in place, Kabul, and indeed the entire country, is under siege. It does not take much to understand that foreign nationals are high profile targets for the Taliban and are a regular fixture in their crosshairs. The restaurant bombing is not a surprise, but it is an eye-opener.
If this is the state of Afghanistan whilst US and NATO forces are still in the country, what will happen once they withdraw? It seems as if the Taliban are ready to reconquer lost territory and reclaim the power they had before the US occupation. If such attacks continue, they may just alarm aid donors and NGOs engaged in aiding the country, particularly after 2014, leaving it a hornet’s nest where once again civil war looks ready to erupt. Chaos seems to be the future for the country but will also spill over into Afghanistan’s neighbouring lands, setting on fire the entire region. Pakistan has plenty to worry about. Our already resources-starved country may have to host once again a tide of Afghan refugees, a plight we can ill afford. We are battling our own Taliban insurgency, which will be heightened immensely if the Afghan Taliban regain any modicum of power across the border. Already the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has found safe havens across the Durand Line, which may increase in the months to come. We will not only be attacked from our own soil but from across the border too. The results will be catastrophic. Afghanistan is panning out just like Iraq after George W Bush’s imperialist adventures, which have cost the world dearly in lives and stability. The US and NATO must ensure that the Taliban do not regain power in Afghanistan no matter what. *