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Terror revisits Afghanistan

Afghans are in a state of shock and awe, as one of the remotest northern provinces too is in the grip of terror.

A suicide attack in Maymama, the capital of Faryab province, which killed scores and injured many others is big news because it has come just days before the presidential elections in April. Though no group has come forward to claim responsibility for the blast, the open-ended presence of extremist groups such as Al Qaeda and the Taleban in the northern territories is a grim reminder that they are scot-free. The claims made by the International Security Assistance Force and the United States troops that northern areas of Afghanistan are free from the menace of terrorist elements, and the dreaded network is only restricted to the country’s south are no less than hoax. Reports say Taleban insurgents and the Al Qaeda-affiliated group, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, are active in this region, which makes it a deadly equation as the province sits on the strategic faultlines of Central Asia. Thus it establishes that the Taleban and the like enjoy a wavelength that spans from the south to the extreme north, literally hallowing the drumbeats of the West saying that the terror network had been effectively dismantled and destroyed.

This incident in Faryab killing 20 people in a busy market place should serve as an eye-opener for the government of President Hamid Karzai, which has not been able to come out of its confines in Kabul. The unrest, probably linked to the green-on-blue attacks, has left many questions unanswered. What will be the fate of the war-torn country’s security after the exit of coalition troops by year-end? How long can Karzai hold his assent to the Bilateral Security Agreement with Washington, and what are the possibilities of Taleban becoming part of a politically negotiated solution? Karzai should address these issues before the ballot process sets in.