Afghan peace

Bloodshed continues in Afghanistan. In a latest gory incident, on Wednesday, a Sikh temple full of worshipers came under attack by unidentified gunmen and suicide bombers. At least 25 people, including the attackers, were killed in the terrorist act. The Taliban were as swift to deny responsibility for the attack as the IS was to accept it. Who was actually behind the attack cannot be answered with certainty though, given the enigmatic power play that is at work in the war-ravaged country and that involves a number of local and regional players. This is the second attack on a minority gathering in the Afghan capital this month. On 6^th March, 32 people had been killed in an attack on the memorial ceremony of a leader belonging to the minority Shia sect of Islam. That attack was also claimed by an IS-affiliate.

The latest attack came just two days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Kabul on a mission to salvage the Feb 29 US-Taliban ceasefire deal which was meant to lead to talks between Kabul and the Taliban on Afghanistan’s future. At a time when face-to-face diplomacy has come to a near-halt due to coronavirus, Pompeo held sittings, spanning nine hours, with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, who is attempting to form a parallel government in the country. Pompeo then flew to Doha the same day i.e. on Monday to meet chief Taliban negotiator Mullah Baradar.

The US is making hectic efforts to take the dialogue process to the next level so as to pave the way for pulling its troops out of Afghanistan as early as possible. The US desperation is evident from the fact that Pompeo took up the trips to Kabul and Doha despite the State Department’s warning to all Americans to avoid foreign travel. A successful dialogue process, however, is not going to ensure peace in Afghanistan, at least in the near term. The two terrorist attacks this month are an indication of what a post-withdrawal Afghanistan would be like.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2020.

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