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Taleban remain a security challenge

Thirteen years of coalition forces' bombardment has done little to erase the militants from the face of Afghanistan.

Notwithstanding the veracity of the news that Taleban chief Mullah Omar is dead, the militant group is once again on a killing spree. In what seems to be a pre-winter strategy, the Taleban are trying to gain as much ground as they can in the north of the war-weary country, and that too for the first time in a decade or so. The daring capture of Kohistanat district in Sar-e-pul province this week, and the muscle-flexing in Badakhshan province to the east confirm the impression that they are still a force to be reckoned with.
Thirteen years of coalition forces' bombardment has done little to erase the militants from the face of Afghanistan. While the Taleban had controlled many of the southern provinces, the recent attacks in the capital Kabul and around the military bases in the north are a deadly phenomenon. This illustrates the fact that Afghanistan's decades' old insurgency is still alive, and nothing credible has been done to stem the tide. Moreover, the new attacks pose a question mark on the performance of President Ashraf Ghani, who had pledged to deal with the Pakhtoon militia through political means and embrace them in the larger interest of peace and security.
There has been a noticeable increase in attacks on police and security forces since a majority of Nato troops left Afghanistan in December 2014. Reports say in the first seven months of the current year, attacks on the American troops and the Afghan army have risen by 70 per cent over the same period last year. As per statistics, an average of more than 300 police officers and soldiers are killed each week. UN installations and Blue Helmets are also not spared, which underscores the need for addressing the issue in a serious manner.
With the change of geopolitical realities in the region, as the operation against militants in Pakistan is pushing hardened criminals to flee across the porous Durand Line and take refuge in Afghanistan, the law and order situation could become worse. Two decades of warmongering with the Taleban proves that they just cannot be pushed to the wall for long.

• Mullah Omar dead, says Afghanistan; Taleban denies