News - Comment

Taliban behead 17 party-goers; takes Afghanistan close to Stone Age

POREG VIEW: On 28 August, the Taliban indulged in the most gruesome attack to-date of beheading 17 people in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. Two of the victims are women. This was the second time in as many months Taliban barbarism is on full public display in Afghanistan. In July a woman in central Afghanistan was executed after she was accused of adultery.

Taliban have gone against the basic tenants of Islam, which is not attacking unarmed people, particularly who are not inimical towards you. All 17 revellers were shot dead or beheaded for their act of ‘immorality’ – partying for three consecutive days with music and dance at Roshan Abad village in Kajaki district, some 75 kilometres north of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah. Over the next 24-hours, the militants indulged in more attacks leaving dead 10 Afghan soldiers, also in Helmand.


But events like the July execution of a woman in central Afghanistan accused of adultery and now the gruesome killings in Helmand threaten to undo any small advances in the face of a deeply suspicious, if not hostile, public outside the insurgents’ southern and eastern stronghold.

Going by what Helmand governor’s spokesman Daud Ahmadi said, the Taliban stuck when there was a partying. Both music and dance are banned under Taliban.

Since Ahmadi confirmed that the killing was the work of the Taliban, the partying must have taken place in an area under the Taliban control.

Also, since the subjects of Taliban are not known to risk their limbs and lives, why these rural youth had risked their lives remains unclear.

Also how the partying continued for three days in what is undoubtedly conservative rural south.

Either it could be because of an informal relaxation of Taliban decrees or it could be because of confusion amongst the Taliban ranks.  Either way, the Taliban have gone against the basic tenants of Islam, which is not attacking unarmed people, particularly who are not inimical towards you. Significantly, Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, in a message ahead of Ramazan festival asked his cadres to ‘emphatically’ avoid civilian deaths as a ‘religious obligation to observe’.

There is a view that the Taliban leadership was not in the loop and if it is indeed so, it shows that some Taliban cadres are becoming a law unto themselves.

This is cause for concern as much to the Taliban leadership as to the American commanders since the Qatar is beckoning them both for a serious dialogue. Roshan Abad slaughter is a signal that grassroots fighters may not be in a mood for any compromise.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf has denied his group was involved in Roshan Abad. “The boys must have been drunk, fighting one another. We were not involved,” he was quoted as saying in media dispatches. His remark throws up more questions than it answers on the state of affairs under the Taliban hood.

Significantly, Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, in a message ahead of Ramazan festival asked his cadres to ‘emphatically’ avoid civilian deaths as a ‘religious obligation to observe’.Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered a full investigation into the ‘mass killing’. How the probe would be held and how long it would take in an area where the Taliban holds sway are matters of pure conjecture. Two things are however clear. One efforts to end its barbarism let loose by the Taliban needed to be doubled. Two the   US-backed Afghan forces have a tough challenge on hand. More so because of 33 insider attacks so far this year that resulted in 42 coalition deaths. This toll shows a sharp increase from 2011, when, during the whole year, 35 coalition troops including 24 Americans were killed in such attacks.


The chief coalition spokesman, German Brigadier General Gunter Katz, believes that 10 percent of attacks had a direct Taliban infiltration link, while another 15 percent were suspected of having insurgent involvement.

It is but natural to entertain concern over the state of affairs in Afghanistan once the US led forces withdraw from the country as scheduled. Their presence has not prevented the Taliban and their ilk to commit brutal crimes particularly women. So, will Washington and Kabul be able ensure respect for humanity later? And how will they prevent the return of Afghanistan to the Stone Age? Well, these are questions without ready answers not only in the context of Afghanistan but also Pakistan, especially the tribal belt which is Talibanised already.

Sharing:

Your comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *