Afghanistan is a ticking bomb in the region of South Asia, with its deteriorating state machinery and the growing control of Taliban in the region. A report prepared by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has highlighted a rise in the number of civilian deaths in the last 16 years. Despite the presence of the American army, the terror strikes have not lowered in number. Even if you compare last year’s statistics with this year, one can notice a 2 percent increase in the number of casualties.
Between the months of January to June, almost around 1662 lives have been lost. Child causalities have increased by 9 percent, whereas, female deaths have increased by 23 percent; making the number 436 and 174 respectively. Two thirds of these atrocities are caused by the Taliban, while the rest are caused by the Islamic State. While these terrorist organisations are responsible, it is also the result of the Afghan and US airstrikes. It has contributed to the rise of civilian victims and a Taliban backlash which is not without popular support.
Since the last four decades, Afghanistan has been trying to solve the problem, and to no one’s surprise, is failing miserably. The reason why policies fail despite the presence of the US in the region is the absolute failure of state institutions to have a broader vision for stability, and at the same time, US is not taking responsibility of the mess that it created in the region. Peace talks with the Taliban are highly doubtful, which means that the war is going to prolong.
The problem lies in the fact that both countries trying to resolve the problem are living in a constant state of denial. America refuses to accept their responsibility in the region, whereas, Afghanistan remains more comfortable in blaming its neighbours. Such policies add to the tensions of the region, especially when the US is reconsidering its policy towards countries of the region.
America, at this point, needs to push Afghanistan towards owning their own incapability to resolve the situation, and urge them to seek regional cooperation. The only way the situation will improve is by helping out all parties and not accommodating Afghanistan’s maligning strategy towards Pakistan. The bottom line is that Pakistan wants to see a peaceful Afghanistan; the future of CPEC’s regional trade depends on it. An unstable Afghanistan is only in the interest of the US and India, obsessed with “balancing” China, a world power that really cannot be competed with.