Spoilers at work

The IS spanner can now clearly be seen in the works for peace in Afghanistan. Every attack of late in the war-ravaged country is being proudly claimed by the savage militant group — the latest one being at the Kabul University on Monday in which 22 students and staff members were killed and as many others injured. The broad daylight attack at the university — featuring a suicide bombing followed by gunfire by two more terrorists — marked the second time in about 10 days that an educational institution in the capital city was targeted by IS extremists. The earlier IS-claimed attack — on Kawsar-e Danish education centre in Kabul — came on October 23 in which 24 people, mostly teenage students, had lost their lives. Before that, 29 people had been killed when, on August 23, a Jalalabad prison had been raided by IS militants.

These incidents of violence are clear evidence of the growing IS footprint in Afghanistan — something that threatens what is being seen as the most serious effort for peace in the country in decades. That’s why Zalmay Khalilzad has, in a tweet, expressed concern at what could turn out to be a squandered opportunity for peace in the country and regional stability. The US Special Representative sounds “disappointed that despite commitments to lower violence, it has not happened” and has very rightly warned that “the window to achieve a political settlement will not stay open forever”. However, despite the IS claiming the attacks and despite knowing where the shoe pinches, Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh has blamed “the Taliban and their supporters in Pakistan” for the violence.

Saleh’s statement clearly appears as a deliberate attempt to dispute and disrupt the February 19 Doha agreement meant to provide peace to a nation that has been braving death and destruction for no less than four decades. Such a statement only suits the Ashraf Ghani administration as well as its Indian patrons. It is instead time for the Afghan ruling elite to give up their self-serving approach and start working in tandem with other stakeholders for a peaceful, prosperous and all-inclusive Afghanistan, before things get out of control.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2020.

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