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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Kandahar attack

By Editorial Board
October 20, 2018

The killing of the infamous Kandahar police chief, General Abdul Raziq, and intelligence commander Abdul Momin in what appears to be an insider attack directed by the Taliban on Thursday highlights what little progress the Afghan government has made in containing the militant threat. There were reports that Kandahar Governor Zalmay Wesa was also killed in the attack although that has been denied by the Afghan government while the top US commander in the country General Scott Miller, who was in a meeting with Raziq at the time, escaped unhurt. The Taliban have said that they were specifically targeting Raziq and Miller. That Raziq would be the primary target is unsurprising. He had a reputation as a general committed to fighting the Taliban – while also having been accused by human rights groups of torture and extra-judicial killings. And his willingness to take on the Taliban and to fight as dirty as the militants made him a particular favourite of the US, and a particular enemy of the Taliban. That the Taliban were still able to assassinate one of the most closely-guarded government officials in Afghanistan, and that too with the help of at least one of his bodyguards, shows the steep hill the Afghan government still has to climb to make any progress in its war against militancy. The timing of the attack is particularly important since the long-delayed parliamentary elections in the country were due to be held on October 20.

This brazen attack will undoubtedly have an effect on the peace process, as both the Afghan government and the US will be reluctant to engage with the Taliban. A shift was already noticed when Pakistan readily agreed to close the Chaman and Torkham border gates for two days and even gave a public statement saying US forces need to stay in Afghanistan till peace is achieved. Since the main Taliban demand for a settlement is the withdrawal of all foreign troops and Pakistan has long assumed the role as the one country that can bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, this represents a significant change in tack. But that is unlikely to mollify the US. On Thursday, US Deputy Secretary of State Henry Ensher said that the Trump administration would keep pushing Pakistan to modify its Afghan policy. This was a likely reference to Pakistan’s supposed support for the Taliban and Haqqani Network. It is not clear, however, how this will help achieve peace in Afghanistan. The Taliban are believed to be active in over 70 percent of the country and still control wide swathes of territory. The attack on Raziq has showed they are able to infiltrate the government and launch devastating attacks at any time. The only way to subdue that threat is if all stakeholders work together rather than drifting even further apart.