Attacks on the Afghan security forces, who remain in active defence posture, targetted suicide and IED attacks and wartime criminality —including kidnapping and armed robberies — have hampered the rapid implementation of the Government’s Coronavirus strategy

COVID-19 has emerged as the single-most dangerous enemy of humanity in this century. Most of the fatalities have occurred in developed and developing countries, including the US, Italy, Spain, France, China and Iran. Looking at the scope and scale of  emergency preparedness, the containment and mitigation measures undertaken by these countries to defeat COVID-19, one immediately begins worrying about a lack of resources, a severe shortage of essential commodities and services, as well as widespread human vulnerabilities in the countries of the “bottom billion.” There, State institutions remain weak, healthcare systems are non-existent or dysfunctional, demographics unchecked, coping mechanisms severely eroded and economies stagnating or in a state of gradual collapse.

This grim situation is further exacerbated by protracted and often imposed conflicts, which continue to be fuelled by geopolitical tensions and rivalries in regions such as the Middle East and South Asia where State actors exploit impoverished youth by brainwashing them ideologically and militarily arming them to advance State-specific geostrategic goals.

These intertwined and ever-growing vulnerabilities of the least-developed and war-ravaged societies remain a cause for grave global concern, as expressed by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who urged warring parties across the world to lay down their weapons in support of the bigger battle against COVID-19. Indeed, no country needs an immediate cessation of  conflict as much as Afghanistan. Even before the advent of the many and sometimes overlapping conflicts of the past four decades, Afghanistan had been a least developed country with meagre resources to address its dismal socio-economic indicators and abject poverty. The following decades, including the past 19 years, have hardly been kind to the suffering people of Afghanistan. Last year alone saw the killing and maiming of over 10,000 civilians while “conflict-related civilian casualties with more than 100 killed and many more injured” were recorded in March, says  the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA). On March 27, the UN Security Council condemned the “heinous and cowardly terrorist attack that took place at the Dharamshala Sikh Temple in Kabul” when 25 citizens, including children, were killed and wounded.

In addition to these attacks, the improvised explosive devices (IEDs), planted in urban and rural Afghanistan, indiscriminately kill and cripple citizens. This tragedy is further compounded by the adverse effects of climate change, including droughts, floods, landslides and avalanches. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) says that, “More than 14,000 people have been affected by floods, landslides  and avalanches in more than 12 provinces across Afghanistan.” Plus humanitarian efforts have been hindered by attacks on aid workers.

Moreover, the destruction of critical service-delivery infrastructure remains a tactic often used to further victimise people. Millions have been deprived of electricity as transmission lines, importing electricity from Uzbekistan, have been cut in northern Afghanistan where such attacks recur often. Extended power cuts disable the few hospitals and clinics that respond to the basic medical needs of the population. Indeed, this is killing and maiming Afghans by other means than direct acts of violence, which are often overlooked for holding to account those UN member-State/s that directly cause or indirectly contribute to such complex humanitarian crises.

It is clear and well-documented that the Taliban are responsible for the frequent and largescale civilian deaths due to direct and indirect acts of violence and destruction of critical infrastructure. But they are not alone in committing these war crimes. Since their creation as an instrument of external strategic influence in 1994, the Taliban have enjoyed safe havens, an operational infrastructure, diplomatic support, as well as medical treatment for their wounded fighters in our neighborhood — from where they continue to run a terror campaign across Afghanistan.

At the same time, their killing machine has enabled other regional and transnational terrorist networks—such as the Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) — to destabilise Afghanistan. In turn, this has enabled the Taliban to run a multi-billion-dollar illicit drug business that has not only addicted jobless young Afghans but has also fed drug demand in the wider region where millions are dying of addiction.

In the face of the rapid spread of the Coronavirus, the Taliban must reconsider their efforts to maintain status quo: To keep killing Afghans and destroying critical service-delivery infrastructure, whose extended dysfunction will cause further death, pain and destruction. Indeed, as they know all too well, this stands against the core teachings of Islam. This also violates the basic principles of international human rights and humanitarian laws, which uphold the right of all Afghans —including those in the Taliban-controlled areas — to unfettered access to  COVID-19 tests and treatment. 

As of now, 784 Afghans in over 20 provinces across the country have contracted the deadly virus and 25 people have died. These figures hardly reflect the ground reality, considering that thousands of Afghans have recently returned from Iran and Pakistan which are also battling COVID-19. Indeed, attacks on the Afghan security forces, who remain in active defence posture; targetted suicide and IED attacks and wartime criminality —including kidnapping and armed robberies — have hampered the rapid implementation of the Afghan Government’s COVID strategy, including containment, mitigation and socio-economic relief and recovery measures. To avert a COVID-19 catastrophe in Afghanistan, the Taliban must respond positively to calls by the international Ulema, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Afghan people and the international community, to cease violence immediately across Afghanistan.

Cessation of violence during this national hour of acute need for a humanitarian response to the global pandemic will automatically build confidence on all sides, allowing the recently-announced inclusive negotiation team and the Taliban to begin making progress towards peace, which all Afghans desire, demand and deserve. In the eyes of the Afghan people, choosing the path to peace over continued bloodshed will undoubtedly demonstrate the Taliban’s independence of any foreign influence while establishing their Islamic credentials based on the key tenets of a peaceful, tolerant, compassionate and merciful faith as enshrined in the Constitution of Afghanistan.

(Writer: Ashraf Haidari; Courtesy: The Pioneer)

Attacks on the Afghan security forces, who remain in active defence posture, targetted suicide and IED attacks and wartime criminality —including kidnapping and armed robberies — have hampered the rapid implementation of the Government’s Coronavirus strategy

COVID-19 has emerged as the single-most dangerous enemy of humanity in this century. Most of the fatalities have occurred in developed and developing countries, including the US, Italy, Spain, France, China and Iran. Looking at the scope and scale of  emergency preparedness, the containment and mitigation measures undertaken by these countries to defeat COVID-19, one immediately begins worrying about a lack of resources, a severe shortage of essential commodities and services, as well as widespread human vulnerabilities in the countries of the “bottom billion.” There, State institutions remain weak, healthcare systems are non-existent or dysfunctional, demographics unchecked, coping mechanisms severely eroded and economies stagnating or in a state of gradual collapse.

This grim situation is further exacerbated by protracted and often imposed conflicts, which continue to be fuelled by geopolitical tensions and rivalries in regions such as the Middle East and South Asia where State actors exploit impoverished youth by brainwashing them ideologically and militarily arming them to advance State-specific geostrategic goals.

These intertwined and ever-growing vulnerabilities of the least-developed and war-ravaged societies remain a cause for grave global concern, as expressed by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who urged warring parties across the world to lay down their weapons in support of the bigger battle against COVID-19. Indeed, no country needs an immediate cessation of  conflict as much as Afghanistan. Even before the advent of the many and sometimes overlapping conflicts of the past four decades, Afghanistan had been a least developed country with meagre resources to address its dismal socio-economic indicators and abject poverty. The following decades, including the past 19 years, have hardly been kind to the suffering people of Afghanistan. Last year alone saw the killing and maiming of over 10,000 civilians while “conflict-related civilian casualties with more than 100 killed and many more injured” were recorded in March, says  the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA). On March 27, the UN Security Council condemned the “heinous and cowardly terrorist attack that took place at the Dharamshala Sikh Temple in Kabul” when 25 citizens, including children, were killed and wounded.

In addition to these attacks, the improvised explosive devices (IEDs), planted in urban and rural Afghanistan, indiscriminately kill and cripple citizens. This tragedy is further compounded by the adverse effects of climate change, including droughts, floods, landslides and avalanches. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) says that, “More than 14,000 people have been affected by floods, landslides  and avalanches in more than 12 provinces across Afghanistan.” Plus humanitarian efforts have been hindered by attacks on aid workers.

Moreover, the destruction of critical service-delivery infrastructure remains a tactic often used to further victimise people. Millions have been deprived of electricity as transmission lines, importing electricity from Uzbekistan, have been cut in northern Afghanistan where such attacks recur often. Extended power cuts disable the few hospitals and clinics that respond to the basic medical needs of the population. Indeed, this is killing and maiming Afghans by other means than direct acts of violence, which are often overlooked for holding to account those UN member-State/s that directly cause or indirectly contribute to such complex humanitarian crises.

It is clear and well-documented that the Taliban are responsible for the frequent and largescale civilian deaths due to direct and indirect acts of violence and destruction of critical infrastructure. But they are not alone in committing these war crimes. Since their creation as an instrument of external strategic influence in 1994, the Taliban have enjoyed safe havens, an operational infrastructure, diplomatic support, as well as medical treatment for their wounded fighters in our neighborhood — from where they continue to run a terror campaign across Afghanistan.

At the same time, their killing machine has enabled other regional and transnational terrorist networks—such as the Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) — to destabilise Afghanistan. In turn, this has enabled the Taliban to run a multi-billion-dollar illicit drug business that has not only addicted jobless young Afghans but has also fed drug demand in the wider region where millions are dying of addiction.

In the face of the rapid spread of the Coronavirus, the Taliban must reconsider their efforts to maintain status quo: To keep killing Afghans and destroying critical service-delivery infrastructure, whose extended dysfunction will cause further death, pain and destruction. Indeed, as they know all too well, this stands against the core teachings of Islam. This also violates the basic principles of international human rights and humanitarian laws, which uphold the right of all Afghans —including those in the Taliban-controlled areas — to unfettered access to  COVID-19 tests and treatment. 

As of now, 784 Afghans in over 20 provinces across the country have contracted the deadly virus and 25 people have died. These figures hardly reflect the ground reality, considering that thousands of Afghans have recently returned from Iran and Pakistan which are also battling COVID-19. Indeed, attacks on the Afghan security forces, who remain in active defence posture; targetted suicide and IED attacks and wartime criminality —including kidnapping and armed robberies — have hampered the rapid implementation of the Afghan Government’s COVID strategy, including containment, mitigation and socio-economic relief and recovery measures. To avert a COVID-19 catastrophe in Afghanistan, the Taliban must respond positively to calls by the international Ulema, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Afghan people and the international community, to cease violence immediately across Afghanistan.

Cessation of violence during this national hour of acute need for a humanitarian response to the global pandemic will automatically build confidence on all sides, allowing the recently-announced inclusive negotiation team and the Taliban to begin making progress towards peace, which all Afghans desire, demand and deserve. In the eyes of the Afghan people, choosing the path to peace over continued bloodshed will undoubtedly demonstrate the Taliban’s independence of any foreign influence while establishing their Islamic credentials based on the key tenets of a peaceful, tolerant, compassionate and merciful faith as enshrined in the Constitution of Afghanistan.

(Writer: Ashraf Haidari; Courtesy: The Pioneer)