Editorials

The Irish Times view on the Kabul airport attack: The chaos to come

To the Taliban, dyed-in-the-wool enemies of the bombers of Isis-K, the message was that the struggle for territory and for supremacy in Afghanistan will continue

Taliban members stand guard as they block the road to Hamid Karzai Airport a day after deadly blasts, in Kabul. Photograph: EPA

Sat Aug 28 2021 - 00:02

The message of the shocking Kabul airport bombing to Joe Biden and the international community was stark: the longer you stay, the heavier your continuing losses. To the Taliban, dyed-in-the-wool enemies of the bombers of Isis-K, the message was that the struggle for territory and for supremacy in Afghanistan will continue.

Battered by that war, crippled economically, facing famine in the countryside and hobbled by the desperate flight of many of its brightest, the country’s new government takes back a basket case of its own making, without the means to rule. Its people, terrified into submission, are unable from experience to trust reassurances a supposedly reformed Taliban is making.

Does it even control its own ranks? Reports from outside Kabul suggest revenge against so-called collaborators is being meted out in parts of the country, while women are given mixed message about the return to work. Intelligence reports suggest that Isis-K , the Afghan franchise of Isis, has seen its ranks swollen to up to 2,000 by disillusioned Taliban fighters. The group has this year carried out dozens of attacks against civilians, officials and Taliban members.

Another immediate military threat comes from the few thousand former Afghan army troops, many of them special forces, and mujahedeen fighters who have taken the Panjshir Valley, 70 miles north of Kabul, vowing to fight the new regime. And if resumed, historic Taliban persecution of the country's Shia Hazara, whom they do not consider to be true Muslims, could even see Iran unwillingly drawn in militarily. While there have been reports of a massacre of Hazari in recent days, it has also been suggested that the Taliban have been involved in outreach and reassurances to the community .

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The Taliban’s ability to convince its own people that they have genuinely changed, that they understand they can not rule through fear, will determine whether they can stabilise Afghanistan and convince western aid donors to return. A determined offensive against Isis-K would be a start.

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