The massive bombing last week in Kabul that left at least 90 dead and more than 450 injured — and daily anti-government demonstrations — have cast a dark shadow over Afghanistan’s latest attempt to make peace in the war-torn country.
The strife came as the Afghan government is wooing “key regional and global stakeholders” to send representatives to what it is billing as a “peace conference” on Tuesday in Kabul, not far from where last Wednesday’s bomb attack targeted foreign embassies.
The Afghans hoped to build foreign support for a peace effort with the insurgent Taliban that would have Afghan officials in control of their own fate — a process that has been stalled for years amid government inaction, corruption and tepid cooperation from the Taliban.
“Our goal is to coordinate all those activities and efforts that have taken place in various countries aimed at bringing peace in Afghanistan,” Javed Faisal, spokesperson for the Afghan chief executive, told reporters in announcing the conference last week.
Adding that the meeting will be dubbed the “Kabul Process,” Feisal said the aim “is that Afghanistan take the ownership of the [peace] process and that any efforts made for peace in Afghanistan are initiated, owned and led by the government of Afghanistan."
The Afghan government has reportedly asked representatives from the United States, the European Union, Pakistan, Russian, China and Saudi Arabia to attend.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said last week that the conference would not be a “ceremonial process" but the beginning of a move towards commitment to a lasting peace which would also benefit the region.
Kabul hopes a recently concluded peace deal with the insurgent group Hezb-i-Islami led by Gulbuddin Hekmatya may encourage Taliban leaders to also quit violence and join political reconciliation efforts.
But analysts say Wednesday’s bombing may have been a turning point.
“The attack was so large that it changed the situation qualitatively," Zalmay Khalilzad, a former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq told VOA. "So many Afghans were killed and injured it cannot be treated as business as usual. Afghanistan should no longer have patience for such action."
Afghanistan initiated a peace process with the Taliban group several years ago but it has been stalled.
A presidential spokesman told Radio Liberty on Monday that the intelligence authorities have arrested a would-be suicide bomber who was sent by the Taliban to disrupt the conference.
Some regional countries have launched efforts to help promote peace in Afghanistan.
Russia this year hosted several rounds of talks in Moscow with the stated goals of developing a “regional approach” for promoting Afghan security and a government-led national reconciliation with the Taliban.
The United States and China have cooperated in Afghanistan by trying to start a peace process through the Quadrilateral Coordination Group, which also includes Pakistan and Afghanistan.
But the Taliban has rejected peace talks with Kabul, saying in a statement last month that seeking a peace deal with the current government in Afghanistan would be tantamount to a surrender to the “enemy” and contrary to Islamic faith.
The announcement, and reported U.S. plans to send additional American troops to Afghanistan to help Afghan forces contain the Taliban strengthen widespread concerns of an escalation in hostilities and bloodshed this year.
Last week's bombing has led some to “reject the idea of reconciliation,” arguing that there is no reason to negotiate with such brutal killers, according to Michael Kugelman, a South Asia specialist at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.
But the bombing could force peace efforts to escalate, he said. "The attack underscores just how horrible things are and that reconciliation is the only way forward to bring an end to the constant bloodshed in Afghanistan,” Kugelman said.
“You hold peace conference during a war. War means bloodshed and killing and unpredictable events. There are also many people who want to continue the war. Hence it’s inevitable that peace conference will meet under such circumstances.”
The U.S. has supported peace talks with the Taliban but analysts say Washington must make a major diplomatic initiative in support of the Kabul Process.
“As always, the United States, along with all of Afghanistan’s partners, remains shoulder-to-shoulder with our Afghan brothers and sisters in pursuit of a brighter tomorrow for all Afghans,” the embassy said.
Analysts say Washington should announce its new policy for Afghanistan soon.
“What this awful blast makes crystal clear is that now, more than ever, the Trump administration needs to announce its new Afghanistan policy." Kugelman said. "The situation on the ground is growing increasingly critical, and clarity about U.S. plans has never been more necessary,"
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