05-31-2017, 10:12 PM
*** 1-Jun-17 World View -- Massive terror explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, as US considers sending more troops
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Massive terror explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, the largest in years
****
![[Image: g170531b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g170531b.jpg)
Aerial view of Kabul, Afghanistan (UN)
The biggest terrorist explosion in Afghanistan in years took place in
the capital city Kabul during the morning rush hour on Wednesday,
killing 90 people and injuring almost 400. The explosion was caused
by a powerful truck bomb in a large truck designed to carry sewage.
Over 50 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged in the attack.
Buildings hundreds of meters away from the explosion were damaged or
had windows blown out.
According to one witness, "I have been to many attacks, taken wounded
people out of many blast sites, but I can say I have never seen such a
horrible attack as I saw this morning."
The area that was attacked is supposed to be the safest in Kabul, with
foreign embassies and government offices protected by dozens of
10ft-high blast walls guarded by police and national security forces.
Every vehicle entering the area is supposed to be checked for
explosives, leading some analysts to believe that the perpetrators had
the cooperation of someone in the security forces.
However, a statement from the Nato forces says that Afghan security
forces had prevented the vehicle from entering the heavily protected
Green Zone that houses many foreign embassies, suggesting it may not
have reached its intended target. Sky News (Australia) and Tolo News (Afghanistan)
Related Articles
****
**** Afghans blame Pakistan and the Taliban-linked Haqqani network
****
The Taliban have conducted numerous terror attacks in Kabul,
but they claim that they didn't perpetrate this one. According
to a statement issued by the Taliban:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"[The Taliban] condemn every explosion and attack
> carried out against civilians, or in which civilians are
> harmed. ...
>
> [Whoever] carried out this attack and for what purpose, that will
> become clear at a later stage."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
This statement from the Taliban is laughable. The Taliban regularly
attack innocent civilians, including women and children, and they
particularly target ethnic Hazaras and Shia Muslims in general. In
fact, the vast major of people killed by the Taliban are innocent
civilians. However, it's bad publicity for the Taliban to kill
innocent civilians, so they're reluctant to take credit for it for PR
reasons.
The so-called Islamic State (IS or ISIS or ISIL or Daesh) did claim
credit for the attack, but ISIS has developed a public relations
gimmick of taking credit for any terror attack, whether they've been
involved or not.
The Afghan intelligence agency NDS blamed the Haqqani network for the
attack. The Haqqani Network is linked to the Taliban, and is widely
believed to be funded and supported by Pakistan security services,
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
According to an aide to Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani, "Today’s
enormous explosion absolutely was a Haqqani Network type attack. ISIS
[in Afghanistan] cannot carry out such a large and sophisticated
attack." Sky News (Australia) and AFP and Daily Beast
Related Articles
****
**** Afghanistan situation deteriorates, as US considers sending more troops
****
Afghan security forces control only about 57 percent of the country's
territory. Around 2.5 million people live in areas controlled by the
Taliban and nine million more live in contested areas. According to
analysts, the Taliban are now stronger than at any point since the
2001 Afghan war.
U.S. General John Nicholson described the current military situation
in Afghanistan against the Taliban as a "stalemate," and he's
requested several thousand additional US troops to enhance the 8,400
American and 5,000 coalition forces already present.
From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, the security
situation in Afghanistan will only get worse. As I've explained many times,
Afghanistan's last
generational crisis war was the extremely bloody civil war of 1991-96
was fought between the Pashtuns in southern Afghanistan versus the
Northern Alliance of Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks in northern
Afghanistan. The Taliban are from the Pashtun ethnic group, which
extends into Pakistan, and so the Taliban Pashtuns in Pakistan
cooperate with the Taliban Pashtuns in Afghanistan to conduct terror
attacks.
When America attacked Afghanistan in 2001, the Afghan Taliban
collapsed quickly, because Afghanistan was in a generational Recovery
era, with the traumatized survivors of the bloody 1991-96 civil war
still recovering, with little will to fight. However, since the 2001
war, younger generations of Pashtuns have come of age, and they're
more willing to conduct attacks against the government, and against
their parents' former enemies in the Northern Alliance.
So it really doesn't matter at all how many troops the US or Nato send
to Afghanistan. The security situation is going to continue to
deteriorate, and the Taliban and ISIS will continue to control
provinces of Afghanistan, at the expense of the government in Kabul.
Deutsche Welle (25-May) and ABC News and Russia Today and Deutsche Welle
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Kabul, Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani,
Haqqani Network, Taliban, Pakistan, Inter-Services Intelligence, ISI,
Islamic State / of Iraq and Syria/Sham/the Levant, IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh,
John Nicholson, Northern Alliance, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Massive terror explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, the largest in years
- Afghans blame Pakistan and the Taliban-linked Haqqani network
- Afghanistan situation deteriorates, as US considers sending more troops
****
**** Massive terror explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, the largest in years
****
Aerial view of Kabul, Afghanistan (UN)
The biggest terrorist explosion in Afghanistan in years took place in
the capital city Kabul during the morning rush hour on Wednesday,
killing 90 people and injuring almost 400. The explosion was caused
by a powerful truck bomb in a large truck designed to carry sewage.
Over 50 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged in the attack.
Buildings hundreds of meters away from the explosion were damaged or
had windows blown out.
According to one witness, "I have been to many attacks, taken wounded
people out of many blast sites, but I can say I have never seen such a
horrible attack as I saw this morning."
The area that was attacked is supposed to be the safest in Kabul, with
foreign embassies and government offices protected by dozens of
10ft-high blast walls guarded by police and national security forces.
Every vehicle entering the area is supposed to be checked for
explosives, leading some analysts to believe that the perpetrators had
the cooperation of someone in the security forces.
However, a statement from the Nato forces says that Afghan security
forces had prevented the vehicle from entering the heavily protected
Green Zone that houses many foreign embassies, suggesting it may not
have reached its intended target. Sky News (Australia) and Tolo News (Afghanistan)
Related Articles
- Multiple terror bombings cross Pakistan and Afghanistan (13-Nov-2016)
- Troubles mount for Afghanistan government as US withdrawal looms (12-Apr-2016)
****
**** Afghans blame Pakistan and the Taliban-linked Haqqani network
****
The Taliban have conducted numerous terror attacks in Kabul,
but they claim that they didn't perpetrate this one. According
to a statement issued by the Taliban:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"[The Taliban] condemn every explosion and attack
> carried out against civilians, or in which civilians are
> harmed. ...
>
> [Whoever] carried out this attack and for what purpose, that will
> become clear at a later stage."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
This statement from the Taliban is laughable. The Taliban regularly
attack innocent civilians, including women and children, and they
particularly target ethnic Hazaras and Shia Muslims in general. In
fact, the vast major of people killed by the Taliban are innocent
civilians. However, it's bad publicity for the Taliban to kill
innocent civilians, so they're reluctant to take credit for it for PR
reasons.
The so-called Islamic State (IS or ISIS or ISIL or Daesh) did claim
credit for the attack, but ISIS has developed a public relations
gimmick of taking credit for any terror attack, whether they've been
involved or not.
The Afghan intelligence agency NDS blamed the Haqqani network for the
attack. The Haqqani Network is linked to the Taliban, and is widely
believed to be funded and supported by Pakistan security services,
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
According to an aide to Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani, "Today’s
enormous explosion absolutely was a Haqqani Network type attack. ISIS
[in Afghanistan] cannot carry out such a large and sophisticated
attack." Sky News (Australia) and AFP and Daily Beast
Related Articles
- U.S. decision on Haqqani Network will affect Pakistan relations (02-Sep-2012)
- Terrorist bombing of Kabul hotel shows power of Haqqani network (30-Jun-2011)
- ISIS claims responsibility for attack on Shia Hazaras in Kabul Afghanistan (24-Jul-2016)
****
**** Afghanistan situation deteriorates, as US considers sending more troops
****
Afghan security forces control only about 57 percent of the country's
territory. Around 2.5 million people live in areas controlled by the
Taliban and nine million more live in contested areas. According to
analysts, the Taliban are now stronger than at any point since the
2001 Afghan war.
U.S. General John Nicholson described the current military situation
in Afghanistan against the Taliban as a "stalemate," and he's
requested several thousand additional US troops to enhance the 8,400
American and 5,000 coalition forces already present.
From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, the security
situation in Afghanistan will only get worse. As I've explained many times,
Afghanistan's last
generational crisis war was the extremely bloody civil war of 1991-96
was fought between the Pashtuns in southern Afghanistan versus the
Northern Alliance of Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks in northern
Afghanistan. The Taliban are from the Pashtun ethnic group, which
extends into Pakistan, and so the Taliban Pashtuns in Pakistan
cooperate with the Taliban Pashtuns in Afghanistan to conduct terror
attacks.
When America attacked Afghanistan in 2001, the Afghan Taliban
collapsed quickly, because Afghanistan was in a generational Recovery
era, with the traumatized survivors of the bloody 1991-96 civil war
still recovering, with little will to fight. However, since the 2001
war, younger generations of Pashtuns have come of age, and they're
more willing to conduct attacks against the government, and against
their parents' former enemies in the Northern Alliance.
So it really doesn't matter at all how many troops the US or Nato send
to Afghanistan. The security situation is going to continue to
deteriorate, and the Taliban and ISIS will continue to control
provinces of Afghanistan, at the expense of the government in Kabul.
Deutsche Welle (25-May) and ABC News and Russia Today and Deutsche Welle
Related Articles
- Trump considers new troop surge and strategy change in Afghanistan war (10-May-2017)
- CENTCOM commander: Afghanistan 'stalemate' requires 'thousands' more US troops (11-Mar-2017)
- Analysis of Afghanistan vs Iraq wars (26-Sep-2009)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Kabul, Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani,
Haqqani Network, Taliban, Pakistan, Inter-Services Intelligence, ISI,
Islamic State / of Iraq and Syria/Sham/the Levant, IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh,
John Nicholson, Northern Alliance, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
