Several people have been killed in a second suicide bombing in as many days in eastern Afghanistan during celebrations for Eid al-Fitr. A ceasefire between the Afghan government and militants has entered its third day.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Shirzada
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Eastern Afghanistan witnessed two suicide bomb attacks over the weekend, as as officials and Taliban fighters marked a three-day ceasefire at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
On Saturday, a suicide car bomber blew himself up in the city of Jalalabad, in Nangarhar province, killing 36 people and wounding another 65.
At least 10 people were killed in a separate blast outside the provincial governor's office in Jalalabad on Sunday, which again targeted those gathering to mark the temporary truce.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had announced a separate eight-day ceasefire with the Taliban on Tuesday, which he extended on Saturday. Ghani asked the Taliban to reciprocate by extending its truce.
Seventeen years after the US invasion of Afghanistan, the war-torn country remains in the grip of Islamist violence. A string of deadly attacks in the last year suggests militants are stronger than ever.
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Fragile security
Repeated attacks in Afghanistan in 2018 and 2019 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.
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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.
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Spring offensive
In 2018, 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 in 2017, which aims to force the militants into peace talks.
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Trump's Afghanistan policy
US President Donald Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan in 2017, vowing to deploy more troops to train and advise Afghan security forces. Trump also pledged to support Afghan troops in their war against the Taliban and maintain US presence in the country for as long as there was a need for it. In 2019, he reversed course and promised a troop pullout.
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Afghan peace process
Despite President Ghani's offer in February 2018 for peace talks "without preconditions," the Taliban had until 2019 shown no interest, dismissing the peace overtures as a "conspiracy."
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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.
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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.
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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.
Image: Reuters/K. Pempel
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A spokesman for the provincial governor of Nangarhar confirmed a car bomb was responsible for Saturday's attack in the town of Ghazi Aminullah Khan. He had earlier said a rocket-propelled grenade had been used.
A Taliban fighter told the AFP news agency that, while he welcomed the ceasefire, long-lasting peace would only be achieved if US forces left the country.
"We want an Islamic country and government. This cannot happen unless America leaves [Afghanistan]," he said.
The "Islamic State" (IS) militant group said it carried out Saturday's attack which targeted "a gathering of Afghan forces," according to the group's Amaq news agency.
