06-02-2017, 09:27 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-03-2017, 09:00 AM by John J. Xenakis.)
*** 3-Jun-17 World View -- Kabul bombing brings back memories of bloody 1990s Afghan civil war
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Five people killed in clashes with police in anti-government rally in Kabul, Afghanistan
****
![[Image: g170602b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g170602b.jpg)
Afghan security forces and residents stand near the 13ft deep crater left by Wednesday's truck bomb attack in Kabul (AFP)
At least five people were killed and dozens injured on Friday in
Kabul, Afghanistan, when security forces opened fire on protesters
throwing stones at police.
The protesters were demanding that President Ashraf Ghani and Chief
Executive Abdullah Abdullah both step down, for failing to protect
citizens, following Wednesday's massive terror attack in Kabul
that killed 100 people and injured
hundreds more. 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.
The terror attack is thought to be the worst in Afghanistan's recent
history, and many people are furious that it was allowed to happen.
Over 1,000 protesters started marching towards the Presidential Palace
early Friday. However, once at Zanbaq Circle, which was the scene of
Wednesday’s deadly bombing, police started firing off tear gas
canisters. According to some reports, the protesters threw stones at
the police. Fire trucks also sprayed the demonstrators with water.
When this failed to disperse the crowd, police opened fire with live
rounds on the protestors. The result was that at least five people
were killed, with two of them shot in the mouth, and two more shot in
the chest. At least 15 people were wounded, but reports indicate that
they were mostlly shot in the legs and feet.
Chief executive Abdullah Abdullah addressed the nation on Friday
afternoon and called for calm, and said that the shooting of peaceful
protesters by security forces will be investigated. Tolo News (Afghanistan) and BBC
****
**** Kabul bombing brings back memories of bloody 1990s Afghan civil war
****
The Taliban are refusing to take credit for the massive Kabul bombing
on Wednesday. That's not surprising, because of the massive slaughter
of innocent civilians. The Taliban press releases like to portray
them as nice guys fighting against a corrupt government and the
infidels from the United States and Nato. Slaughtering and crippling
hundreds of innocent civilians doesn't fit with their sweet PR image.
Nonetheless, few people doubt that the Taliban, specifically the
Haqqani Network, were responsible for Wednesday's bloody slaughter.
Americans and Europeans who try to understand what's going on in
Afghanistan rarely dig any deeper than to refer to statements or
policies of Barack Obama or Donald Trump or Angela Merkel, as if one
of them could cause or prevent a truck bombing. Most people in Kabul
probably don't even know who those leaders are. What they do know is
that there was a bloody civil war from 1991 to 1996, with both sides
regularly committing massacres, torture, rapes, beheadings, and any
other atrocity that comes to mind, and the bitter memory of that
bloody civil war guides much of what they do, including Friday's
protests.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is the current leader of Hezb-e Islami
(abbreviated HIG for Hezb-e Islami-ye Gulbuddin), a Sunni Muslim
ethnic Pashtun group that fought on one side of Afghanistan's bloody
civil war in 1991-96. Hekmatyar himself was a warlord known as the
"Butcher of Kabul," because of his unparalleled record of atrocities,
killing thousands of innocent people.
Hekmatyar last month was allowed to return to Kabul after 20 years in
exile, mostly in the UK. Hekmatyar had signed a peace agreement that
granted him immunity for acts committed during the war. In return,
Hezb-e-Islami will renounce its ties with extremist groups.
Hekmatyar, now almost 70 years old, has had an epiphany, and is no
longer committing atrocities, One of his followers, Safia Sediqi, a
member of Hizb-e-Islami’s women’s committee, said:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"The country is tired, we were born in war
> Mr. president, we got old and our sons are getting old, you tell
> us when will peace come to Afghanistan."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
This is always the cry of survivors of generational crisis wars.
Traumatized by the war, all they want is peace.
But unfortunately Ms. Sediqi is going to learn that there will be no
peace. As I've explained in the past, Afghanistan is at the beginning
of a generational Awakening era, 21 years after the climax of the
civil war. If it were up to the traumatized survivors, there would be
peace, but it's not. It's up to the younger generations, growing up
after the war, who have no personal memory of the war,
There will be no return to general civil war -- the traumatized
survivors will see to that. But the young people will hold protests,
demonstrations and riots that sometimes become violent. Afghanistan
is also a special case because the Taliban are radicalized ethnic
Pashtuns, and they are receiving support from the Pashtuns in
Pakistan, which is in a generational Crisis era. So there will
more terrorist acts and no peace.
Two things are certain: First, the demands that Ashraf Ghani step down
are going to increase. And second, the war in Afghanistan is only
going to get worse, no matter how many extra troops are sent by the US
and Nato. Tolo News (Kabul) and Afghan Analysts (3-May) and NY Times
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Kabul, Zanbaq Circle, Afghanistan,
Ashraf Ghani, Abdullah Abdullah, Taliban, Haqqani Network,
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Hezb-e Islami, Hezb-e Islami-ye Gulbuddin, HIG,
Safia Sediqi, Pashtuns, Pakistan
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
- Five people killed in clashes with police in anti-government rally in Kabul, Afghanistan
- Kabul bombing brings back memories of bloody 1990s Afghan civil war
****
**** Five people killed in clashes with police in anti-government rally in Kabul, Afghanistan
****
Afghan security forces and residents stand near the 13ft deep crater left by Wednesday's truck bomb attack in Kabul (AFP)
At least five people were killed and dozens injured on Friday in
Kabul, Afghanistan, when security forces opened fire on protesters
throwing stones at police.
The protesters were demanding that President Ashraf Ghani and Chief
Executive Abdullah Abdullah both step down, for failing to protect
citizens, following Wednesday's massive terror attack in Kabul
that killed 100 people and injured
hundreds more. 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.
The terror attack is thought to be the worst in Afghanistan's recent
history, and many people are furious that it was allowed to happen.
Over 1,000 protesters started marching towards the Presidential Palace
early Friday. However, once at Zanbaq Circle, which was the scene of
Wednesday’s deadly bombing, police started firing off tear gas
canisters. According to some reports, the protesters threw stones at
the police. Fire trucks also sprayed the demonstrators with water.
When this failed to disperse the crowd, police opened fire with live
rounds on the protestors. The result was that at least five people
were killed, with two of them shot in the mouth, and two more shot in
the chest. At least 15 people were wounded, but reports indicate that
they were mostlly shot in the legs and feet.
Chief executive Abdullah Abdullah addressed the nation on Friday
afternoon and called for calm, and said that the shooting of peaceful
protesters by security forces will be investigated. Tolo News (Afghanistan) and BBC
****
**** Kabul bombing brings back memories of bloody 1990s Afghan civil war
****
The Taliban are refusing to take credit for the massive Kabul bombing
on Wednesday. That's not surprising, because of the massive slaughter
of innocent civilians. The Taliban press releases like to portray
them as nice guys fighting against a corrupt government and the
infidels from the United States and Nato. Slaughtering and crippling
hundreds of innocent civilians doesn't fit with their sweet PR image.
Nonetheless, few people doubt that the Taliban, specifically the
Haqqani Network, were responsible for Wednesday's bloody slaughter.
Americans and Europeans who try to understand what's going on in
Afghanistan rarely dig any deeper than to refer to statements or
policies of Barack Obama or Donald Trump or Angela Merkel, as if one
of them could cause or prevent a truck bombing. Most people in Kabul
probably don't even know who those leaders are. What they do know is
that there was a bloody civil war from 1991 to 1996, with both sides
regularly committing massacres, torture, rapes, beheadings, and any
other atrocity that comes to mind, and the bitter memory of that
bloody civil war guides much of what they do, including Friday's
protests.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is the current leader of Hezb-e Islami
(abbreviated HIG for Hezb-e Islami-ye Gulbuddin), a Sunni Muslim
ethnic Pashtun group that fought on one side of Afghanistan's bloody
civil war in 1991-96. Hekmatyar himself was a warlord known as the
"Butcher of Kabul," because of his unparalleled record of atrocities,
killing thousands of innocent people.
Hekmatyar last month was allowed to return to Kabul after 20 years in
exile, mostly in the UK. Hekmatyar had signed a peace agreement that
granted him immunity for acts committed during the war. In return,
Hezb-e-Islami will renounce its ties with extremist groups.
Hekmatyar, now almost 70 years old, has had an epiphany, and is no
longer committing atrocities, One of his followers, Safia Sediqi, a
member of Hizb-e-Islami’s women’s committee, said:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"The country is tired, we were born in war
> Mr. president, we got old and our sons are getting old, you tell
> us when will peace come to Afghanistan."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
This is always the cry of survivors of generational crisis wars.
Traumatized by the war, all they want is peace.
But unfortunately Ms. Sediqi is going to learn that there will be no
peace. As I've explained in the past, Afghanistan is at the beginning
of a generational Awakening era, 21 years after the climax of the
civil war. If it were up to the traumatized survivors, there would be
peace, but it's not. It's up to the younger generations, growing up
after the war, who have no personal memory of the war,
There will be no return to general civil war -- the traumatized
survivors will see to that. But the young people will hold protests,
demonstrations and riots that sometimes become violent. Afghanistan
is also a special case because the Taliban are radicalized ethnic
Pashtuns, and they are receiving support from the Pashtuns in
Pakistan, which is in a generational Crisis era. So there will
more terrorist acts and no peace.
Two things are certain: First, the demands that Ashraf Ghani step down
are going to increase. And second, the war in Afghanistan is only
going to get worse, no matter how many extra troops are sent by the US
and Nato. Tolo News (Kabul) and Afghan Analysts (3-May) and NY Times
Related Articles
- Massive terror explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, as US considers sending more troops (01-Jun-2017)
- Afghanistan becomes more ungovernable as US-led coalition withdraws (19-Apr-2015)
- Bizarre Mullah Omar death announcement seals fate of Afghan peace talks (30-Jul-2015)
- Troubles mount for Afghanistan government as US withdrawal looms (12-Apr-2016)
- Terrorist bombing of Kabul hotel shows power of Haqqani network (30-Jun-2011)
- Analysis of Afghanistan vs Iraq wars (26-Sep-2009)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Kabul, Zanbaq Circle, Afghanistan,
Ashraf Ghani, Abdullah Abdullah, Taliban, Haqqani Network,
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Hezb-e Islami, Hezb-e Islami-ye Gulbuddin, HIG,
Safia Sediqi, Pashtuns, Pakistan
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
