Violence in Takhar and Jalalabad
11 people are dead and 85 injured in the violent protests in Takhar province on Wednesday. Hundreds of people came out on roads protesting against the night raid by NATO troops who claimed killing 4 insurgents. Protesters were holding dead bodies of those killed, marching towards the center of the city. There are conflicting accounts of those killed. Local people deny they were insurgents, and ISAF say they were armed and tried to attack the troops during the night raid. Among them were two women. There should be a thorough investigation about those killed, whether they were insurgents, or civilians.
The protest turned violent when people started looting shops and breaking down private property in the city. A group of mob was throwing stones at the German military camp there. Firing was heard, and reportedly some people had thrown hand grenades on German troops, injuring two. This led the ISAF troops to fire, in which 12 people have been killed.
It's the failure of Afghan security forces that were unable to control the situation and stop the mob going to the German military outpost. Who were the armed people firing? And where did the "protesters" get hand grenades from? It's wrong to say all of them were part of the protesting civilians. Afghan security forces, National Police and Army, were deployed later; once the situation got out of control. Police should have already stopped the protesters looting shops and smashing down private property, long before reaching to the military camp.
If the victims of the night raid are innocent civilians, it is condemnable in strongest terms. But this has to be confirmed in an investigation. NATO says those killed were armed and insurgents. However, this doesn't give justification for the protesters to start looting public property, and using violence. The failure of Afghan security forces to control the situation speaks out the most in this tragic incident of Takhar.
In another incident of violence on Wednesday, 13 people were killed in a suicide attack in Jalalabad on a bus of police cadets. It is part of the recent wave of Taliban attacks, which they have named Badar Operation, against Afghan security forces and foreign troops. The fight against insurgents is going to get tougher in summer, as Taliban have declared this year to use their all fighters and full capability. The war for Afghan security forces will not end soon, even if any political deal works with insurgents. Some elements of insurgents will never give up violence, and we must fight them as long as they are defeated.
Senator John Kerry’s visit to South Asia
Senator John Kerry's visit to South Asia comes at the time when the rift in the relation between Pakistan and America is widening and the Pak-Afghan relation is also facing a state of ambiguity and dismay, which is not a piece of news that the proponents of War against Terrorism can really cherish. Rather, they must take it as an alarm that is heralding the worsening situation in the region.
Definitely, there have been evident shortcomings on the part of Pakistan in the co-operation that was required from them, but it must also be kept in consideration that Pakistan cannot be neglected in the way to success in this war. Senator John Kerry can really pressurize Pakistan on their mistake regarding the hideout of Osama, and can further strengthen the relation by asking Pakistani authorities to exert more.
Further, the worsening condition in Afghanistan and Pakistan after the killing of Osama can be a major issue for bringing the three countries together. Isolating Pakistan by blaming them for the hideout of Osama is not going to be fruitful in any way. John Kerry must be looking for some sort of reconciliation. Definitely, proper diplomatic endeavors on the part of John Kerry can really turn the sympathy of those people in the favor of War against Terrorism who hate religious extremism and militancy.
Otherwise, the unilateral operation on the part of America, along with the incident of American Helicopters crossing the Pakistani border and the recent suicide bombing in northwestern Pakistan that killed more than 80 paramilitary recruits and undoubtedly drone attacks, all are adding fuel to the fire. Public opinion is really inclining towards anti-American sentiments. Officials in Pakistan Army are also having an awkward look at the situation and the politicians are already angry. Most of them have favored the immediate halt in drone attacks.
It's now time for Americans to support their success of finding out Osama through their diplomatic prudence. The political scenario that has emerged after Osama has turned very fragile. Any sort of haste and carelessness in this regard can prove very fatal. Military operations alone can never win the war for proponents of War against Terrorism.
They have to rely more on diplomacy. Only healthy and trustworthy relation among US, Afghanistan and Pakistan can really put an end to menace of terrorism, Talibanization and militancy that have devoured the lives of so many guiltless people in the world.
Assad’s Last Choices
There is no certainty on next happenings in the Arab changing world. Uprisings have surprisingly smothered many Arab regimes that enjoyed dictatorial rule over the past decades. Before unrests erupted in Syria, the long time President Bashar al-Assad told reporters that the public opinion towards government in his country was different from that in other Arab countries. He declared that his government enjoyed citizens' consent and support.
However, his optimist view didn't last longer. Asad's regime is rocked by angry protests. The country has intensified a crackdown on anti-government protesters with a coordinated attack on several suburbs of the capital, Damascus, and on a city in the southern governorate of Daraa, where the unrest began two months ago. The Interior Ministry denied yesterday's accounts of a mass grave near Daraa city, saying the allegation was part of a "campaign of provocation and baseless falsehoods." Authorities have said they were chasing militants and "terrorist elements" in the area.
In the meantime, the country's rising instability and uncertain future are already reverberating beyond its borders in Iran, Israel, Lebanon and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. A global objection over deadly crackdowns on month-old, anti-regime demonstrations has widened.
The United States, European Union and the United Nations renewed calls on Syria to halt the violence. The United States and the European Union said on Tuesday the international community was planning further sanctions against Syria over its brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests, as the opposition called for a general strike. At the same time, France said the UN Security Council is close to achieving a majority for a resolution to condemn the crackdown.
Very few analysts believe that the regime of Bashar al-Assad will be able to duplicate his father's decisive crackdown that restored order in 1982 after the government massacred 20,000 people in the northern city of Hama. The current protests are too widely dispersed to be snuffed out in one city - such as the southern city of Deraa where Syrian tanks rolled in on Monday - or among one political group.
According to many politicians and analysts in Syria, the government of long time President Assad is enjoying its last moments in power. The opposition, political activists and human rights organizations say, Bashar Al-Asad didn't like but was forced to concede some of the reforms that Syrians were denied from since his Father, Hafiz Assad, came to power following 1963 coup d'état.
And, taking in mind the regional and global outcomes of the democratic movements spreading mainly across the Arab countries, it seems true that protests have, so far, achieved bulk of its objectives. With the expanding international support for pro-democracy protestors, clear indications suggest that either Assad is enjoying his last moments in power or Syria will lean towards further unexpected instability and some possible domestic conflicts. So, he only holds his last choices.
0 comments:
Post a Comment