In a wave of assassinations in Afghanistan, this week four women media professionals and a gynecologist alongside her daughter were attacked in Jalalabad, an eastern city in Afghanistan. Mursal Wahidi, 25, Sadia Sadat, 20, and Shahnaz Raofi, 20, were shot dead on their way home from work. Their fourth colleague, also a woman, was wounded. The four women worked for a local radio and TV network. In December 2020, a well-known journalist and presenter, Malalai Maiwand, 26, who worked for the same radio and TV network was gunned down on her way to work. These are only a few of the Afghan women gone too soon.
Since the signing of the peace deal between the U.S. and the Taliban in February of 2020, a new chapter of violence has opened in Afghanistan. The nature of violence has changed from mass suicide attacks to unprecedented levels of targeted killings of media professionals, journalists, civil servants, members of civil society, NGO workers, health workers and advocates of human rights. Many of these attacks are unclaimed and the Afghan government has been unable to stop the assassinations and to bring those to justice who commit such crimes.
Major suicide attacks and bomb explosions continue to terrorize Afghans but to a lesser extent. The Afghan people could often avoid places assumed to be the targets for suicide attacks but with the new tactic in place by the terrorist groups, Afghans cannot predict who would be next, leading to much fear and uncertainty among Afghans.
In response to the latest attacks on women and human rights defenders, Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation stated that, “The high level of violence is not only against the spirit of peace talks, but is obviosly being used as leveage at the bargaining table by the Taliban. For peace to be achieved, the violence must stop.”
Although the government does not provide an exact list of the assassinations, according to the New York Times tally, more than 136 civilians and 168 Afghan security forces have been murdered in such killings over the past year. The 168 Afghan security forces were either targeted off duty or on their way to work.
Based on a recent UNAMA report that records civilian casualties, the level of violence increased when the intra-Afghan peace talks began in September of last year. The report indicated that the overall level of violence in 2020 was down compared to 2019, but the level of violence was the highest between the months of September and December than it has ever been.
With the start of the Afghan peace process, Afghans were hopeful that, at last, peace will prevail and that Afghan leaders will come to a compromise that will best serve their country and the nation. However, the high level of violence for the past year has resulted in a lack of trust in the peace process and a deteriorating hope for a lasting peace in the country.
The U.S. signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February 2020 under the Trump leadership, in which the Taliban committed to not attack Americans or their interests in Afghanistan. The agreement did not include the same protections for the Afghan people. The US-Taliban deal has been viewed significantly flawed by many and is currently under review by the Biden administration. While all await the result of the review, the Afghan people hope that the Biden administration will do right by them, that it will use its leverage in the ongoing talks for a just, practical, inclusive and real peace in Afghanistan.
