Why the Afghan peace process is dead even before getting underway

While the world is battling the coronavirus crisis, Afghanistan continues to grapple from endless warfare.

The scale of violence has escalated in the country even during the pandemic. A series of attacks in the past few days reflects the level of bloodshed across the country.

The innocent women and children of the country were targetted during the demonic attacks. In a terror attack at a hospital in Kabul on May 12, armed men rampaged through a maternity ward, shooting dead mothers, pregnant women and even babies. At least 24 people died in the gruesome attack.

The United States on Thursday blamed Taliban terrorists for the attack and it renewed calls for Afghans to embrace a troubled peace push with the Taliban insurgency.

There was another attack at a funeral for a martyred police commander in Nangarhar where a suicide bomber killed at least 15 people and wounded 50. Taliban terrorists were behind these attacks.

On May 14, a truck packed with explosives blew up near a court in the city of Gardez. Five people were killed while 15 civilians were wounded in the attack. Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
 
It is ironic that the Taliban demands peace and wants the Afghan government to conduct an impartial investigation to find out who are the real culprits of such gruesome attacks when they themselves are responsible for it.
 
It signifies that the very idea of a peace process is dead even before it got underway. This violence is only a terrible preview of the future.
 
Holding a peace dialogue with such terrorists will not shape Afghanistan's future. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani believes that these terrorists can only be dealt with on the battlefield.
 
He wants his troops to switch from a defence mode to active offensive and punish those responsible for the deaths of innocent babies.