Afghan forces battled on Monday to stop major Taliban’s offensives as the United States and Britain accused the insurgents of massacring civilians in a town they recently captured near the Pakistani crossing.
Taliban fighters assaulted at least three provincial capitals overnight – Lashkar Gah, Kandahar and Herat – after a weekend of heavy fighting that saw thousands of civilians flee the advancing militants.
Fighting raged in Helmand’s provincial capital Lashkar Gah, where the Taliban launched coordinated attacks on the city center and its prison – just hours after the government announced the deployment of hundreds of commandos to the area and could push back the militants.
This comes as President Ghani addressed an extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly on Monday, calling for a national mobilization against the insurgent group. Soon after President remarks, the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) and the Meshrano Jirga (Upper House of Parliament) jointly declared their support for the country’s Republic system, the Constitution, freedom of expression, women’s rights and government’s security forces.
In addition, the two houses called on the United Nations and other international organizations to continue their financial and political support to Afghanistan and to assist in the peace process.
Taliban have continuously been killing the innocent people indiscriminately in Afghanistan. They even using civilian houses as military shelters and in fight against the Afghan forces. Religious scholars from their Islamic countries including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kuwait and Palestine and OIC have condemned the war in Afghanistan and called as illegitimate. However, Taliban have continued violence and killing the innocent people against the call of the Islamic scholars and their commitment to the peace agreement with the US.
Contrary to western media campaign in favor the militants, the signs that the Taliban have not reformed are increasingly clear. Assassination campaign against government workers, civil society leaders and security forces prove that Taliban has never changed, but as per the President remarks, they have become crueler and savage.
The group’ attacks on civilians including women and children show that they are not committed to peace and purse their terrorist goals by violence. Although, Afghans, the international community and neighboring countries have ruled out the revival of the Emirate in Afghanistan, Taliban have violence in the country to overrun Afghanistan again.
Meanwhile contrary to the US claims that they have achieved all their goals in Afghanistan, Taliban and al-Qaeda will strengthen their cooperation in the country to fight Afghanistan government and attack the US and its allies’ national interests. The recent attack on UN compound in Herat city is the clear example.
To stop Taliban offensives and their brutal campaign, the international community shouldn’t watch the Afghan miseries, but should take practical steps for lasting peace in the war-torn country.
UN, US and their allies should pressure the Taliban and their backers to stop human rights violations and hosting international terrorism. The militants should be pressured, and their economic channels should be identified, so that they surrender to peace and harmony in Afghanistan.
Int’l community shouldn’t watch Taliban brutality
