Continuous war

Through the lifetimes of many of us, we have seen only conflict and then more conflict in Afghanistan. Even now, while the Afghan government and the Taliban continue talks in Doha – with both sides showing a degree of mistrust for each other – violence continues inside Afghanistan, with 13 policemen killed in targeted attacks over the past few days, while civil rights activists, social workers, and even professionals or journalists have been assassinated. It is difficult to say how the violence can be ended. There's anger among the victims of the killings, which the families blame on the Taliban, that the Afghanistan government has not done enough to investigate these murders, or bring the perpetrators to justice. A few days ago, 15 children died when a bomb exploded in western Afghanistan where it had been tied to a rickshaw and left in the middle of a busy area. There have been many other killings.

On Friday, a delegation of the Taliban led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who heads the Taliban in Doha, visited Pakistan and spoke to Prime Minister Imran Khan and other Pakistani officials. Pakistan has been attempting to facilitate the talks between the US and the Taliban, and now the talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in the hope of achieving a ceasefire in Afghanistan. But while both sides continue talks, in what can be seen as a step that prevents total doom descending over the country, there is no real sign that peace is returning to the people of Afghanistan. The toll of deaths has in fact risen this year compared to the previous year. As the killings continue, with anyone speaking out against the Taliban often receiving threats, over social media, or in telephonic messages, it is difficult to say how change will come.

For one, we do not know if the incoming Biden administration, which takes over in Washington in January next year, will initiate any change in policy when it comes to withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan. The decision by Donald Trump to do so last year, is seen by many Afghans as yet another act of treachery against Afghanistan, leaving its people in a perilous situation with no protection, given that the Afghan government is not recognized by the Taliban, and Afghan paramilitary and military forces do not have the strength to ward off the Taliban who continue to take hold over larger and larger parts of the country. In this situation, the question is how peace will be achieved. It still seems to lie some way away. Prime Minister Imran Khan told Mullah Baradar that there is no way forward for Afghanistan except for peace, with two decades of war following the US invasion of the country proving this. We hope that all those engaged in violence will understand that peace is the only choice and opt for this before even more Afghan lives are lost.