Government in Kabul must stand firm on terror
The Taliban is at it once again in Afghanistan. The maligned terror group is responsible for bombing the German Consulate in northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif. A suicide bomber drove a truck into the gates of German Consulate killing six people. The battle lasted overnight and wounded more than 120 people. The blast caused considerable damage to property in the terror-prone region. The suicide attack has come in the wake of secret talks between the Taliban and the Afghan Government. It is not astonishing that the Taliban would breach the terms of peace, if any, that were agreed upon by the warring parties. Thus, in all manner, laying bare the weaknesses that the difference between the good Taliban and bad Taliban enumerates, a description that was once favoured by the US Government. To describe one group of terrorist as good and another as bad may seem to be sound strategically in the short term, but after a while, terror groups assimilate with common aims and methods. This seems to be the new development in Taliban's terror design. Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has made it clear that his Government would review the security situation in Afghanistan in the wake of the terror attack. Suicide bombing has become a chosen method of the terrorists worldwide, especially for the Taliban. To say that the suicide bombing is a easy method for the terrorists, as it is hard to spot a terrorist with a firm conviction to kill and die for his cause unless prior intelligence exists to prevent the terror attack, may not be wrong. Therefore, it is essential that intelligence gathering take centre-stage in military matters in Afghanistan.
A diplomatic mission being attacked is not a small or a silly event that can be hastily condoned. To attack a diplomatic mission of the country is equivalent to an attack on its sovereignty. The Taliban wants to derail the peace process and reconstruction in Afghanistan. Foreign missions in this country, particularly in remote cities, exist to build the social and economic infrastructure of the Afghan society. It would not be wrong to presume that diplomatic missions and foreign aid are the lifelines on which Afghanistan is currently functioning. Thus, Taliban's machinations are completely in light, as it attacked the diplomatic mission of a country that is willing to invest its people and resources for Afghanistan's welfare. Perhaps, it is time the international community and the Government in Kabul to take a firm stand against all forms of violence emanating from the terror group. The Taliban should not be given any leeway for terror acts again. All other proponents of violence are illegitimate and must be curbed. It is also the responsibility of the Ashraf Ghani Government to ensure that developmental work does not suffer any more. Diplomatic missions in Afghanistan have an inviolable right to help the Afghan people, they should be provided with the required security to safeguard their property and personhood.