Taliban launches attacks as it starts Afghan spring offensive

April 13, 2019

Taliban forces launched a series of attacks across Afghanistan on Saturday, marking a bloody start to its annual spring offensive.

The attacks have dashed hopes of a quick peace agreement at peace talks with the United States later this month.

What you need to know:

Security officials said there were attacks in 15 provinces.
In the capital, Kabul, Taliban fighters targeted a police station. They also carried out a grenade attack on a military vehicle that killed at least one person and injured six others.
Outside the northern town of Kunduz, a strike killed at least eight people and injured 62.
In the western Ghor province, at least seven members of the Afghan security forces died in an ambush.
In the eastern district of Shirzad, the Taliban claimed a truck bomb killed or wounded “more than 200 soldiers, police and militias.” Officials said two Afghan troops and 27 Taliban fighters had died.
There were multiple attacks in the opium-rich province of Helmand and in the northern provinces of Baghlan, Takhar, Badakhshan, Faryab and Sar-e Pul.

Taliban ‘committed’ to peace

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s palace condemned the spring offensive, dubbed Operation Fath by Taliban militants, “in the strongest words.”

“The continuation of war is in no one’s interest,” the palace said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement: “We are committed to the ongoing process of negotiation and peaceful resolution, but we cannot be unmoved in the face of military operations and the terrorist wave of occupiers and mercenaries,” blaming Afghan and international forces.

US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad described the attacks as “reckless.”

Read more: Afghanistan: Can peace prevail?

Sign of the times: Most of the attacks were relatively minor. Yet their geographic spread and level of coordination underline the difficulty facing the government as it tries to maintain its grip on the country. Insurgents control roughly half of Afghanistan’s territory.

Kunduz’s importance: Taliban militants briefly captured Kunduz in 2015, marking their first conquest of a major city since they were ousted in 2001. The northern town lies at a strategic crossroads in a major agricultural region with easy access to Kabul.

What is Operation Fath? The annual spring offensive marks the traditional start of the fighting season, though the Taliban have been carrying out near-daily attacks for most of the year.

Read more: Is Germany reassessing its role in Afghanistan?

State of the peace talks: Roughly 18 years after invading Afghanistan, the US has been trying to forge a peace deal with the Taliban. US officials have met several times with Taliban leaders and more meetings are expected in Doha later this month. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani wants to send a delegation to “exchange views,” but the government is effectively locked out of the talks because the Taliban refuses to talk to what they consider a puppet regime.

aw/amp (AP, AFP, Reuters)

The endless battle for power in Afghanistan

Fragile security

Repeated attacks in Afghanistan over the past several months have killed and wounded hundreds of innocent Afghans, and shown the world the fragile and worsening state of security in the conflict-stricken country. The incidents have plunged war-weary Afghan citizens into a state of despair and highlighted the limitations faced by the government in Kabul in ensuring public security.

The endless battle for power in Afghanistan

A long series of attacks

The violent incidents have made Afghanistan once again a staple of international headlines. Outfits like the Taliban and the “Islamic State” (IS) have claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Afghan government is under heavy pressure to restore security and take back territory controlled by a number of insurgent groups, including the Taliban and IS.

The endless battle for power in Afghanistan

Spring offensive

Last week, the Taliban announced the start of their annual spring offensive, dismissing an offer of peace talks by President Ashraf Ghani. The militants, fighting to restore their version of strict Islamic law to Afghanistan, said their campaign was a response to a more aggressive US military strategy adopted last year, which aims to force the militants into peace talks.

The endless battle for power in Afghanistan

Trump’s Afghanistan policy

US President Donald Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan last year, vowing to deploy more troops, on top of the 11,000 already in the country, to train and advise Afghan security forces. Trump also pledged to support Afghan troops in their war against the Taliban and maintain American presence in the country for as long as there was a need for it.

The endless battle for power in Afghanistan

Afghan peace process

Despite President Ghani’s offer in February for peace talks “without preconditions,” the Taliban have shown no interest, dismissing the peace overtures as a “conspiracy.” Observers say it is unlikely that the militant group will engage in any negotiations, as they currently have the upper hand on the battleground. The Taliban now control more Afghan districts than at any other time since 2001.

The endless battle for power in Afghanistan

Pakistani support

Pakistan has been under pressure from Kabul and Washington to stop offering safe havens to militants blamed for attacks in Afghanistan, a charge Islamabad denies and insists that its influence over the insurgents has been exaggerated. Kabul and Islamabad regularly trade accusations of harboring the other country’s militants and the harsh language has underscored the strains between them.

The endless battle for power in Afghanistan

Role of the warlords

Apart from the Taliban, Afghan warlords exercise massive influence in the country. Last year, Hizb-i-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar returned to Kabul after a 20-year exile to play an active role in Afghan politics. In September 2016, the Afghan government signed a deal with Hekmatyar in the hope that other warlords and militant groups would seek better ties with Kabul.

The endless battle for power in Afghanistan

An inefficient government

In the midst of an endless battle for power, President Ghani’s approval ratings continue to plummet. Rampant corruption in the Afghan government and a long tug-of-war within the US-brokered national unity government has had a negative impact on the government’s efforts to eradicate terrorism.

Author: Shamil Shams