IT was a bloody Tuesday in Afghanistan — alas, one of many such blood-soaked days this forsaken country has been experiencing over the last four decades. In Kabul, a truly shocking attack on a maternity hospital resulted in the deaths of a number of people, including newborns. The pictures and footage of little bodies wrapped in blankets must have left even the most jaded of observers numb. Meanwhile, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, a suicide bomber reportedly killed over 20 people at the funeral of a police officer. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has held the Taliban responsible for the Kabul atrocity, and the militant Islamic State group for the Nangarhar assault. The Taliban have denied involvement in both attacks. The fact is that Afghanistan is a patchwork of armed groups and insurgents, and due to a weak central government and strong militant groups, acts of mass violence are no rarity in the country.

While only a proper investigation can track down the perpetrators, there are strong clues that IS may have been responsible for the Kabul hospital attack, while the terrorist group has already claimed responsibility for the assault on the funeral. The hospital is located in an area of the Afghan capital dominated by the Shia Hazara community — a favourite target of the sectarian shock troops of IS — and the so-called caliphate has been involved in attacks on hospitals before. And while the Taliban have a history of violence, the hospital attack does not match their usual modus operandi. Apart from the shocking disregard for human life and values by the perpetrators, the attacks show that the peace process in Afghanistan may be in its death throes. For example, the Afghan president’s order to his forces to resume offensive positions indicates that Kabul has lost patience with the Taliban, while a senior Afghan security official has said “there seems little point in continuing to engage Taliban in peace talks”. Though the Americans have urged Kabul and the Taliban to join forces to bring the perpetrators of the attacks to justice, in the backdrop of such horrific violence, with the trust deficit widening between Afghan factions, this may be wishful thinking. Which is bad news for the Afghan people. Indeed, as the government and the Taliban square off, IS and others of their ilk will take advantage of the chaos and continue to perpetuate their business of death and destruction.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2020