Afghans Angry Over Government Failure To Protect People
Days after a suicide bombing struck Kabul that killed 48 civilians, the bereaved families of the victims are outraged and blaming the government for failing to protect its people.
Grieving Afghans buried their loved ones filled with anguish in the days after the attack. Many poured out their anger on social media as ordinary Afghans blamed the Kabul government for failing to protect its people – a constant refrain after such attacks.
“They (the government) arrest them and then release them to kill innocent people,” Ahmad Ahmadi wrote on Facebook.
A Facebook user called Aminullah posted: “This government is intentionally creating chaos to continue their term illegally. The only way forward is to vote and get rid of this corrupt government.”
The deadly attack took place at a voter registration center Sunday in the Afghan capital city. Aside from human casualties, the blast wounded more than 100 civilians.
The Deadly Attack
The suicide bomber targeted civilians who had gathered to receive national identification cards on a voter registration centre in the city.
The blast left a devastating trail of destruction. The aftermath was a picture of bloody carnage where dismembered parts of human bodies were everywhere.
The impact of explosion was felt within the city where it echoed echoed across the city, shattering windows miles away from the attack site and damaging several nearby vehicles.
The attack was the latest in a series of assaults on voter registration centres across the country, sparking concerns over the impact on participation in the upcoming parliamentary and district council elections.
The Proud Perpetrators
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it targeted Shiite “apostates.”
This is not the first time Kabul was targeted by terrorist attacks. In fact, Afghan security forces have struggled to prevent attacks by the ISIS affiliate as well as the more firmly established Taliban since the U.S. and NATO ended their combat mission at the end of 2014.
Both groups regularly launch attacks, with the Taliban usually targeting the government and security forces, and IS targeting the country’s Shiite minority. Aside from that, groups want to establish a harsh form of Islamic rule in Afghanistan, and are opposed to democratic elections.
Record of ISIS-Related Attacks in Afghanistan
Afghanistan has been rocked by insurgencies and targeted by terror attacks perpetrated by the Taliban and ISIS.
Earlier this year, three ISIS suicide bombers launched an attack on the Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad. The attack left six people dead, as well as the three assailants.
On June 20, 2016, ISIS claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a bus carrying Nepalese security guards in Kabul.The attack killed at least 16 people. ISIS identified the bomber as Irfanullah Ahmed and published a photo of him.
