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Targeting Innocents in Afghanistan

Yet another shooting incident in Afghanistan targeting foreigners on Saturday serves to remind the US-led coalition of the hopeless and precarious nature of their ‘mission’ in the land-locked Central Asian country.

Even though the Afghan authorities insist that the two foreigners, a Briton and a South African, were killed by one of their own security guards, there is no doubt that Afghanistan has become a dangerous place for all outsiders, especially the Westerners. The authorities are still investigating if the guard who turned the gun on himself after killing his employers - DHL chief and his deputy - belonged to the Taleban or any other insurgent group.

Last week, a British-South African aid worker, Gayle Williams, from charity agency SERVE was shot dead as she arrived at her office. The Taleban, who accused the aid worker of proselytizing in the name of charity, claimed responsibility for the killing. The militia has denied involvement in the killing of DHL officials though.

Whatever the ‘crimes’ of Gayle Williams and the DHL employees, these killings are utterly shameful and unacceptable and bring nothing but disgrace to the religion and cause that the Taleban claim to champion. Islam does not sanction the targeting of innocent civilians, especially individuals like Gayle Williams.

There may be some individuals and groups that are indeed engaged in proselytizing activities in Afghanistan, like the group of South Korean aid workers who were captured last year by the insurgents.

However, most aid agencies and groups working in Afghanistan are there to help its largely impoverished people, who badly need this aid. They are also helping in rebuilding of the country ravaged by long years of invasions and wars.

This is a noble mission for which these aid agencies and individuals should be thanked and salulted, not killed. These driven men and women put their own lives at risk so others could live.

In fact, if it had not been for them, millions more would have died in a country where no one cares for ordinary civilians. The government, the coalition and Taleban are busy fighting their own battles to care for the helpless people of Afghanistan.

Under the circumstances, it’s agencies and groups like these that provide the essential humanitarian relief. And they will continue to be needed as long as the Coalition of the Willing and Taleban continue to fight this endless war that even the Nato and US commanders are now beginning to agree can’t be won.

The US-led coalition will have to sooner or later confront the futility of its Afghan mission. You cannot expect this US administration to do anything about Afghanistan - or for that matter about Iraq - now that it has only days left in office. Let’s hope President George W Bush’s successor comes in with an urgent action plan on Afghanistan - and Iraq.

As President Hamid Karzai has himself 
demonstrated with his overtures to the insurgents, the Western coalition has no option 
but talk to Taleban to put the country back 
on the track.