Afghanistan heading for bloodshed and catastrophe, if unchecked, says expert

The deadly suicide bombing in Kabul on Thursday marked one of the most fatal attacks in Afghanistan which the world has ever seen. A day after the Kabul terror attack, U.S President Biden was told by his top security advisors that more terrorist attacks are likely as the deadline for US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan draws near, writes ETV Bharat Senior Correspondent Chandrakala Choudhury

New Delhi:The deadly suicide bombing in Kabul on Thursday marked one of the most fatal attacks in Afghanistan which the world has ever seen.

A day after the Kabul terror attack, U.S President Biden was told by his top security advisors that more terrorist attacks are likely as the deadline for US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan draws near.

According to the White House, the next few days of an ongoing US evacuation operation are likely to be dangerous as the US military forces continue the evacuation of their citizens and vulnerable Afghans aftermath of the Kabul terror attack.

With the deadline for US troop’s withdrawal from Afghanistan inching closer, there are questions as to what will happen after that.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Dr Suvro Kamal Dutta, a political thinker and foreign policy expert, said, “There is possibility that the deadline for withdrawal will be extended.

With the completion of the drawdown, the world might witness Afghanistan heading for wider bloodshed after 31 August and there might be direct arms collision between the Western forces and Taliban”.

Dutta said Afghanistan is sitting over a dangerous terror volcano. If not checked now by the international community, it can lead to catastrophic consequences across the globe.

Following the devastating suicide bombing, U.S President Joe Biden has said America will not forgive the terrorists and that the US will hunt them down and make them pay for their misdeeds.

More than 169 Afghan nationals and 13 U.S service members lost their lives in the deadly twin explosions in Kabul airport.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, 28 August, in retaliation to the terrorist attack, U.S. military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation against an ISIS-K planner.

The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that they killed the target and there are no civilian casualties, according to U.S Central Command Spokesman.

President Biden has laid the responsibility of Thursday’s bombing on ISIS-K (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan) extremist group which is an enemy both to the West and to Afghanistan’s Taliban.

Read:Kabul blast points at failure of 'elite' US, Taliban troops
Dr Dutta further said, “The United States should realize that besides taking head-on the splinter groups, it needs to take Taliban to task and President Biden giving a clean chit to Taliban on the Kabul bomb blast incident exposes his ignorance over reality”.
America is realizing its follies and there is nothing called a bad or good terrorist. ISIS-K, Haqqani network, the Taliban has complete internal nexus with each other, he added.

He said that with the US security agencies and other western agencies cautioning of more attacks, it is high time for the United States to have a common plan of action with its allies, adding that, the leverage of the US after the withdrawal of forces has become very minimal and that is the reason we had this bomb blast in Kabul.

It becomes important for the United States to send additional forces for handling the situation. The United States needs to reactivate its security apparatus in the war-torn nation for handling the crisis”.

However, India has maintained a ‘wait and watch’ policy and has been reiterating that it is closely monitoring the fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan.

On Thursday, India strongly condemned the bomb blasts in Kabul. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this terrorist attack. Our thoughts and prayers also go out to the injured.

Today’s attacks reinforce the need for the world to stand united against terrorism and all those who provide sanctuaries to terrorists”, the MEA said in a statement.
Meanwhile, according to reports, India’s intelligence agencies have warned of a possible terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir after they got inputs regarding the movement of terrorists across the border.

The country’s intelligence agencies have been put on high alert after it was learnt that Pak-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad leaders met Taliban leaders in Kandahar this month.

However, there is no official confirmation on the same.

Commenting on India’s security concern arising out of the situation in Afghanistan with the Taliban take over, Dr Suvro Kamal Dutta said, “India has to take a very cautious approach because Taliban is nowhere in favour of India.

Therefore, India needs to apply a tactful policy, in which it needs to develop a common strategy with the Central Asian countries as well as Iran and Russia and the NATO alliance”.

The security situation in J&K after the Taliban take over has become very complex.

The Government of India and the Indian army needs to be active in J&K, Leh Ladakh, and the international border in Pak.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba together with the Haqqani network and Pak -Taliban will try all means to create troubles in J&K as well as in other parts of India.

The country needs to be active in handling the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, Dutta pointed out.