Taliban Continue War Against Afghan Government Amid Peace Talks

On Sunday, January 17, 2015, a suicide bomber struck the house of a prominent, local Afghan politician Obaiduallah Shinwari. The blast killed 14 and wounded another 13. Shinwari escaped with minor injuries.

It is still unconfirmed who was responsible for the attack, but Taliban leaders have voiced their innocence. The second round of Afghan peace talks was set to take place soon, and some believe this attack was meant to disrupt any meaningful progress. The talks are meant to focus on a possible peace between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

The Taliban were absent from the first talks, but the U.S., China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan all took part. For almost a decade the government has been at war with the Taliban, and internal and external powers would like to see an end of hostilities.

Peace may be even more critical in the upcoming years as a branch of the Islamic State (IS) has begun its push into Afghanistan. Last week IS incited an attack near the Pakistani consulate building in Jalalabad. While ideologically aligned, the Taliban and IS remain competitors.

While the Taliban may not have been behind Monday’s bombing, they have done little to show their commitment to peace. This past September the Taliban overran the city of Kunduz after months of fighting government forces. The capture of Kunduz served as not only a military victory, but also a political victory. Kunduz was the largest city to be captured by the Taliban since 2001. While in the city, the Taliban released hundreds of Afghan prisoners into the streets and reportedly burned police stations.

Government forces were able to recapture the city of Kunduz, but their troubles did not end there. Just months later in December, the Taliban launched a major attack on the Kandahar airport, one of the most heavily fortified military compounds in the country. The attacks resulted in 22 military personnel and 9 Taliban being killed.

Later in December the Taliban attempted to capture Sagin. If the Taliban had captured Sagin they would have been able to cut off a key supply line coming from Lashkar Gah. The Taliban would have had better mobility in the north. Government forces were eventually able to stop the assault, but lost a police headquarters and the governor’s compound.

While Afghanistan, the U.S., Pakistan, and China would all like the Afghan government and Taliban to come together, recent trends would suggest peace is not on the horizon. The Taliban’s attacks on Kunduz and Sagin indicated the Taliban are trying to weaken the Afghan government militarily and politically. Currently the Taliban are attempting to control the Helmad region. Afghan and U.S. forces are working together to repel their attacks, but even if they stop the Taliban here there will surely be more attacks to come.

Back in October, President Obama issued a statement claiming around 5,500 American troops will remain in the country after he leaves office, but given the 10,000 soldiers currently in Afghanistan have been unable to positively impact the current situation, a downgrade will make matters worse. Given the failing strategy of the Obama Administration, it is up to the next President to thoroughly evaluate America’s Afghan policy.