Look inside Afghanistan for its problems
US military sources confirmed the presence of some important coalition personnel inside the Mazar-i-Sharif base but they all remained safe and there were no reports of casualties among their numbers
Is it a hobby or a technical compulsion or an instinct that some people don’t feel satisfied unless they drag Pakistan and its army into affairs which in no way belong to both of them? Just cast a look at the recent suicide attack in Mazar-e-Shareef in Afghanistan in which a group of disguised suicide attackers manning national army vehicles targeted an army base. In this deadly attack more than 140 Afghan soldiers were killed and countless injured. Afghan media says Taliban are the master-mind behind this attack. According to the details the attackers arrived in two Afghan national army vehicles with license plates from the western Faryab province. Some of the soldiers in these vehicles pretended to be injured, with bandages on their legs and drips in their arms, in order to pass through the first checkpoint. At the second checkpoint, guards became alert and suspicious but before they could do anything one suicide bomber blew himself up. Another suicide bomber detonated his vest in the dining facility, and another outside the mosque. The rest of the attackers then went on a shooting spree.
US military sources confirmed the presence of some important coalition personnel inside the Mazar-i-Sharif base but they all remained safe and there were no reports of casualties among their numbers. Commenting upon the situation after the deadly attack a spokesman of the Afghan ministry of external affairs said, “The terrorist attack is a stark reminder of the need to immediately dismantle the safe havens and sanctuaries that support and sustain terrorism in Afghanistan from outside its borders.” The same apprehension was expressed by a senior American military official in Kabul — that it appears likely the attack was either carried out by or planned by a Pakistan-based Taliban faction known as the Haqqani network which is a US government-designated terrorist organisation. The official added that the assault likely took four to six months to plan and that it was also likely the attackers had help in advance from Afghan troops on the base.
After going through these comments one feels that Afghanistan in itself is a very peaceful and safe country; all people are very happy with the Ashraf Ghani government; the Afghan people have no reservations regarding Indian interference in the country; and the Taliban have comfortably adjusted them with the present political scenario of Afghanistan with US sending more troops. But realities are altogether different. If Afghanistan were really such a beautiful land of peace and prosperity, millions of Afghans living in Pakistan would not have flatly refused to go back to their own country. For the last many decades Afghanistan has simply been a battle-field, a land of war-lords. No institution, no production, no system; Pakistan knows it very well that its own political, social and economic stability is directly linked with the peace and prosperity of Afghanistan; same thing is also to the knowledge of all hostile forces active in Afghanistan. They know it very well that by destabilising Afghanistan, Pakistan shall be directly affected. Earlier these hostile forces had been trying to play the same game in Pakistan but Pakistan’s security forces and the government did not let them play. So now they are trying to kill two birds with one stone. Blaming Pakistan for Mazar-e-Sharif suicide attack is also a part of the same game.
Readers might still remember the Kandahar Blasts in the second week of this January. According to Al-Jazeera this bombing killed seven people, including five UAE diplomats, and wounded 17 others, including Juma al-Kaabi, the UAE ambassador to Afghanistan. This bombing proved a blob of shame on the very face of Ashraf Ghani’s government. Internationally Afghanistan had to face very severe criticism. Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE’s prime minister and vice president had said on Twitter that “there is no human, moral or religious justification for the bombing and killing of people trying to help” others. As per routine the Afghan officials put all blame on Pakistan but this time the cat itself came out of bag when investigators got the clue of involvement of the police chief of Kandahar province, General Abdul Raziq.
As per routine the Afghan officials put all blame on Pakistan but this time the cat itself came out of bag when investigators got the clue of involvement of the police chief of Kandahar province
Sources say that General Raziq was also present at the meeting but had left the room moments before the blast. Blaming Pakistan for all that goes wrong in Afghanistan is not the solution; the Afghan government must try to search for the facilitators of such terrorist activities from within Afghanistan. Those who are not in support of the Indian-backed Ashraf Ghani government have countless well-wishers in Afghan police and army. Reports say that there are more than 30,000 ghost soldiers in ANSF and many more aligned to warlords with tribal loyalties. Even Taliban are not happy with the Ashraf Ghani government. By dragging Pakistan into Afghanistan’s indigenous affairs, the Afghan government may temporarily divert the attention of the Afghan people but it must also be kept in mind that this cat shall never stay long in the bag.
