On Monday, September 28, the provincial capital of Kunduz fell in the hands of the Taliban. In 14 years, this is the first time that the Taliban captured a capital of a province in Afghanistan. Kunduz is a strategic city, which connects Afghanistan to Tajikistan and plays an important role in the economy of our country.
According to residents in Kunduz, Taliban looted banks, United Nations office and governmental institutions and broke into various residential houses. A few months ago, lawmakers from Kunduz warned about the city falling in the hands of the Taliban. However, at the time, the Afghan army carried out operations to secure parts of the province but all that seems to be ineffective now. The capture of Kunduz by the Taliban once again relived the terrifying memories of Taliban brutality. During their rule from 1996 to 2001, they executed thousands without trials. Daily executions were carried out in Kabul Stadium in front of the public.
There is no doubt that if Taliban comes to power again, they will do the same. They already implemented their laws in the parts that they have captured. The setback in Kunduz province is indeed a humiliation for the Afghan government and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) forces, who support the Afghan army. What the Taliban wants to achieve in Afghanistan is similar to what Daesh wants in Syria and Iraq.
If government forces fail to recapture Kunduz, Taliban will be able to recruit hundreds of extremists from neighbouring Tajikistan and other parts of central Asia. In addition, they will get the opportunity to destabilise Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which is only a few kilometres from Kunduz. The Taliban are not looking for democracy and are opposed to any peace deal.
Now, with the rise of Daesh in Iraq and Syria, the world attention turned to them and the Taliban are no longer making the headlines. We should not forget that the Taliban are the ones that took over Afghanistan and sheltered Osama Bin Laden. With that in mind, the stability in Afghanistan is crucial to prevent another global act of terror.
— The reader is an Afghan freelance writer based in Dubai
