April 20, 2019

Opportunity missed to end the senseless Afghan war

located:	Afghanistan, Qatar
editor:	Shadi Khan Saif

Afghanistan lost a phenomenal opportunity to embark on a path to peace and to move away from the bloodbath it has been going through for decades.

The arrogance and stubbornness on the part of the warring parties, more so on the part of the Taliban insurgents, meant a landmark peace conference among hundreds of Afghan men and women could not go ahead as planned over the weekend in the Qatari capital, Doha. The differences revolved mainly around the size and status of the delegation, which included some government officials attending in a personal capacity.

By demanding only a selective of ‘influential politicians’ to attend this meeting, and shying away from facing an array of young and old men and women representing the new Afghanistan, the Taliban simply demonstrated their lack of belief in inclusiveness, and lack of will towards striving to help build consensus towards their reintegration into the society. Through their resilient insurgency, supported by a number of regional powers, the Taliban seems to be going forward in a blind quest for seizing power through force in a bid to impose their will on a population that, while not content under the rule of warlords-turned-politicians, do not want to return to the bloody and dark past under the Taliban.

Last week, the fragile peace process was about to get momentum with nearly 250 Afghan peace delegates ready to fly to Doha with their bags packed, when a separate list came from Qatar on the 11th hour, derailing the whole initiative for eventual peace in the conflict-riddled country.

As both the Taliban and the Afghan government brace for yet another deadly season for fighting, the missed opportunity for peace in Afghanistan simply means more and more lives lost to the senseless war.

Photo: youtube