A suicide blast rocked the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 26, 2021… 11 days after the Taliban had taken control of Afghanistan for the second time. The people of Afghanistan were desperate to leave the country at that period of time, as the US had already withdrawn its troops from the war-ravaged South Asian nation. At least 182 people, with some US soldiers among them, perished in that attack. Since then, Afghanistan has repeatedly experienced bloodbath, as terrorists have targeted the Shia mosques in most of the cases. As expected, these attacks have claimed lives of innocent Afghan citizens.

The Taliban-led Afghan Government has accused the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), an affiliate of the Islamic State militant group active in South Asia and Central Asia, of carrying out those attacks. Although the ruling Taliban have repeatedly claimed that the Law and Order situation is under control, the Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist and jihadist political movement has completely failed to maintain peace in Afghanistan. Perhaps, the Taliban are gradually losing their control. Otherwise, the horrendous terror attack would not take place at the Kaaj Educational Centre in the Dasht-e-Barchi area in the western part of Kabul on September 30, 2022. Reports suggest that at least 46 girls and young women were among the 53 people killed in the blast. In a statement, UNICEF mentioned: “Violence in or around education establishments is never acceptable. Such places must be havens of peace where children can learn, be with friends, and feel safe as they build skills for their futures.“

Meanwhile, an Afghan journalist said that the terror attack at the educational centre claimed more than 100 lives, because many students were sitting there for their exams at that time. He also blasted the Taliban Government for hiding the actual number of deaths. The attack on an education centre has angered the Global Community. On social media, a number of countries, including Iran, Norway, India and the US, have strongly condemned the attack.

The Government of Afghanistan, too, has criticised the ISIS-K for targeting students. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, in a tweet, condemned the blast in Kabul, stating that targeting students is a “major and unforgivable crime“. He also said that the people of Afghanistan must cooperate with the system to eliminate criminals. For her part, US Chargé d’Affaires in Kabul Karen Decker stressed: “The US strongly condemns today’s attack on the Kaaj Higher Educational Centre. Targeting a room, full of students taking exams, is shameful; all students should be able to pursue an education in peace and without fear.“

As per statistics prepared by the South Asian Terrorism Portal (SATP), there have been 207 terrorist attacks across Afghanistan in 2022 alone, and those have claimed at least 150 lives. Defence experts are of the opinion that the current security scenario in Afghanistan clearly shows that the Taliban are losing control of the system. Hence, it has become increasingly difficult for them to tackle the terrorists, and to boost the Afghan Economy. They also believe that it might have a global impact, as foreign powers could replace the Taliban, yet again, in Kabul in the coming months. In that case, Afghanistan would become unstable, and the bloodbath would continue, making the scenario worse, especially for the people of Afghanistan.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das