Violence Increases In Final Stretch Of US Withdrawal From Afghanistan

With the United States forces in full retreat from the country and the peace talks between the Taliban and the government on hold until January, violence monopolizes the day-to-day in Afghanistan.

Terror broke out this time in the form of sticky bombs and there were two attacks in Kabul and Ferozkoh, Ghor province, to hit high-ranking officials. In the center of the capital, the city’s deputy governor, Mahboobullah Mohebi, was killed and one of his aides and two other people were injured.

The attack in Ghor killed the number two of the Provincial Council, Abdurahman Atshan. No group claimed responsibility for these actions aimed at weakening the power of the institutions.

On paper, Kabul should be the safest square in Afghanistan, but in just over a month the center of the capital has been the target of two indiscriminate rocket and mortar attacks and the university campus was the scene of a jihad operation. urban area in which 35 students died.

In this case, it was the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) who claimed responsibility for the massacre, but the Government did not believe this version and accused the Taliban of being the true authors of the assault. Journalists are also in the spotlight and two well-known presenters have died in the last three weeks.

The peace talks are on hold until January and the president, Ashraf Ghani , asked the two sides to consider the possibility of “abandoning the luxurious hotels of Doha” to continue the dialogue in Afghanistan. The city of Kandahar, a stronghold of the insurgency in the south of the country, offered to resume the dialogue between Afghans during the next month.

The Taliban have respected the ceasefire agreed with the United States since February 29 in exchange for the withdrawal of its troops, but they refuse to accept a truce with the government and this complicates talks that are progressing very slowly.

In these months, operations against the Afghan security forces have intensified and the clashes leave a high number of casualties among civilians, soldiers, police and Taliban. The initial hope sparked by the talks has been faded by the violence.

Finally, the United States troops will not be out of the country for Christmas, as Trump hinted in October in a message in a clear electoral tone, but their withdrawal is progressing according to the deadlines agreed with the insurgency.

In an interview with the BBC network, the Taliban leaders reminded the next tenant of the White House, Joe Biden , the importance of respecting the agreement. The Islamist group believes that “each foreign soldier who remains in the country beyond the stipulated time will be considered a legitimate target and we will resume the holy war.”