Afghanistan: Insecurity Rises and Civilians Suffer

TheinsecurityisonitspeakinAfghanistanandthefutureseemsbleakasthelives,livelihoodandsecurityofthepeoplearenotguaranteed.Thegovernmenthasnotbeenabletocontrolthesituationandwitheachpassingdaythesituationisgettingworse.WiththewithdrawalofinternationalsecurityforcestherewerehopesthatAfghansecurityforceswouldshoulderthesecurityresponsibilitiesthroughoutthecountrywithoutmuchdifficultybutthatdoesnotseemtobethesituation.AfghansecurityforcesarefacingthetoughestchallengesoftheirlivesasTalibanandDaesharegettingstrengthindifferentpartsofthecountrysimultaneously.TheyhavemadecertaindistrictstheirstrongholdsandareabletothreatenthesecuritysituationaroundthecapitalKabultoalargeextent.

Thestatisticsshowtherisingwaveofterrorisminthecountrysincetheinternationalforcesendedtheircombatmission.AccordingtoTolonew’smonthlysecurityroundup,themonthofOctoberwasthedeadliestmonthinAfghanistanastheincidentsofinsecuritysawasharpincreaseascomparedtothefirstninemonthsof2015.

Accordingtotheinformationfromthereport,4,280peoplewerekilledduringOctober,showinga28percentriseagainstSeptember.Thecasualtytollincludeskillingof3,733insurgentsduringthemonth,showinga39percentincreaseagainstSeptember,basedontheinformationreceivedfromtheMinistriesofDefenseandInteriorAffairs.Amongthosewhowerekilled,therewere480securityforcemembers16foreignnationalswerealsoincludedinthefigure.

Octobersaw897eventsofinsecurityandinsurgencywhichillustratesthreepercentincreaseagainstSeptember.Also,theinsurgentsincreasedtheirattacksbysevenpercentinOctoberandAfghanforcesboostedtheiranti-insurgentoperationsby10percent.Helmandwithrecording93insecurityincidentswastheunsafeprovincefollowedbyNangarhar,Ghazni,KunduzandFaryab–thefirstfiveinsecureprovinces.Inaddition,542insurgentsweredetainedduringthemonth.Also,40securityforcemembersand36civilianswerecapturedbythemilitants.

Asthesecuritysituationisgettingworse,theinternationalcommunityisgettingnervousaboutthesituation.UShasalreadyannouncedthatitwillretainitsremainingforcesinthecountryforatleastonemoreyear.

Sincethesecuritysituationisnotuptothemark,theciviliansaresufferingtoalargeextent.Theyarelosingtheirlivescheaplyandinthemostbrutalways.

Thoughdebilitatingsecurityinfluenceseveryone,theminoritieshavetoseetheworst.Hazaracommunityhasbeenfacingsuchkillingsforlong.Justfewmonthsearlier,atleast13Hazaraswerekilled bygunmeninZaridistrictofBalkhprovince,whiletheyweretravellinginaminibus.

WhileinFebruarythisyear,31HazarapassengerswereabductedfromZabulprovincewhiletheyweretravellingfromHerattoKabul,mostofwhomwerelaterreleased.

Thegovernmentrequirestakingpracticalandtangiblemeasurestocontrolthesecuritysituationinthecountrybeforeitistoolate.Therearefearsthatifthesecuritysituationremainsfragileanothercivilwarmayeruptinthecountry.Condemningtheincidentsaftertheyhappenisnotasufficientpolicy.Thereshouldbemeasuresthatcanpreventsuchincidentsfromtakingplace.WhathappenedinKunduz,canhappeninotherpartsofthecountryaswellifthesecurityapparatusremainsunprepared.

PresidentAshrafGhanihascondemnedthebeheadingoftheciviliansandhascalleditabrutalact.He,inastatement,hassaidthatheisprofoundlysaddeneduponfindingaboutthetragicincident.Hehasalsomentionedthatheartlesskillingofinnocentindividualsespeciallywomenandchildren,hasnojustificationinanyreligionorcreedandtheenemiesofAfghanistangainnothingbutshameinthisworldandwrathinthehereafter.

Thecurrentsecuritysituationclearlydepictsthatitcannotfurthersurvivethroughlipservice.Afghangovernmentalongwiththesecurityforcesneedtodesignacomprehensivestrategyandatthesametimetheyneedtoimplementiseffectively.They,undoubtedly,requiretoseekwaysfornegotiationforthelongtermpeacebuttoreachtothepointwheretheycanstandonapositionofstrengthinthenegotiationstheyhavetousetheirstrengthwisely.Theinternationalcommunity,inthemeanwhile,mustcontinuetheirsupportandshoulddiverttheirsupporttotheareasthatarethemosturgentandthemostnecessary.Otherwise,alltheirsupportwillendupinsmoke.