While the Afghan Government Focuses on Peace Talks the Taliban Focus on Controlling Afghanistan

The Taliban have continued their campaign against the Afghan government after detonating a suicide bomb at a clinic north of Kabul, Monday, February 22, 2016. The attacker, riding a motorcycle, targeted an Afghan police commander, killing 14 and wounding 11 including the police commander.

The Taliban’s insurgency has increased dramatically following the pull out of U.S. forces in 2014. The Afghan government and remaining U.S. and allied troops have struggled to prevent further attacks and have proposed peace talks to quell the violence.

Monday’s attack came as Afghan forces began to pull out of Musa Qala and Nawzad districts of the Helmand province, allowing the Taliban to easily reclaim the territory. Afghan commanders have claimed the move was to concentrate soldiers more effectively in the region.

While the government continues to lose ground, the Taliban have been extending their control. It is estimated the Taliban now control or threaten up to one-third of the country.

The Helmand Province is a major source of Afghanistan’s opium production, and controlling Helmand province could provide a financial shot in the arm for the Taliban’s campaign against the government.

Afghan forces are retreating from outlying areas in Helmand, in part, to better secure the major city of Sangin, in the Southern part of the Helmand Province. Government forces were able to secure Sangin following a Taliban assault the city in late December. In early February the Taliban launched a second assault that Afghan forces have struggled to put down. If the Taliban were able to secure the city it would put them in a dominant position over the entire province.

Apart from Sangin, the Taliban were able to capture and hold Kunduz for a short period of time. The Taliban were only able to hold the city for 15 days, but the seizure served as a sign of the resurgent strength of the Taliban.

The Afghan government along with China, The U.S., and Pakistan have sought to find peace with the Taliban. The first round of talks took place earlier this year, but the Taliban refused to attend. The national governments hope to restart talks in the beginning of March, but there remains no assurance that the Taliban will come to the table, unsurprising since there appears to be no reason for the Taliban to consider peace negotiations, given their continued successes.