The Enemies of Muslims

"The enemies of Muslims ... during the holy month of Ramadan treated the nation of Afghanistan cruelly: bombs, explosions in mosques, suicide attacks in mosques.  If you are not behind this, it is being done in your name.. As Muslims, as Afghans, raise your voice and say that you did not do it."  Afghan President Hamid Karzai

But in fact, the enemies of Muslims are themselves Muslims.  Pious, believing, faithful Muslims at that.  Muslims who decry the kind of Islam being practised that is not seen by them as sufficiently pure, although as practised by themselves seen by others as purely fanatical.  No matter, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid was proud enough to claim responsibility for attacks that have killed 41 international troops.

It is not just international troops assigned by their NATO-member countries to be a helpful presence in Afghanistan, as ISAF troops and collaborating with, and training the Afghan military.  The Ramadan fasting month was particularly violent this year.  And the concluding Eid al-Fitr holiday continued the violent trend.  Two pairs of brothers linked to the government, along with three NATO service members were killed in three separate attacks.

A bomb in a cemetery in southern Helmand province killed a police chief and his brother. It is customary during the holiday of Eid al-Fitre to visit graves and pray over them.  Nothing, apparently, given ample evidence that occurs regularly, is too sacred in heritage, tradition and religious practise, to prevent the Taliban, who claim themselves to be pious Muslims to the end-degree, of assaulting foreign troops and Muslim counterparts alike.

The family of the police chief, brothers of a Helmand province lawmaker, was visiting the a family grave after morning prayers.  In western Farah province, motorcycle gunmen fired on the car of an intelligence service official driving home from a family visit, killing him along with his brother.  In all such incidents other are wounded.  The three NATO service personnel were killed in central Afghanistan when a vehicle struck an IED.

Ahead of the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar gave firm instructions to his fighters to avoid killing or wounding Afghan civilians.  Since those whom they claim collaborate with the government are not considered to be civilians, they're fair targets.  Civilian deaths from targeted killings and assassinations have accelerated in 2012 with 255 killed.

Aside from those killings yet another man in Afghan police uniform shot and killed an international service member.  Afghan allies are increasingly turning their weapons against their international partners.  Instructions were given to U.S. military personnel to carry arms with them at all times to respond to these increasing threats, even on base.

The Taliban have been successfully recruiting Afghan security forces members to their cause. Those security members turned Taliban have succeeded increasingly in attacking NATO trainers, called turncoat attacks.  In retaliation a coalition forces air strike in the northeast killed a group of Taliban fighters, including a local leader.  Kunar Governor Sayed Fazulullah Wahidi claimed the strike killed up to 50 Taliban in a remote area of the province.

From these occurrences and their increasing frequency, it begins to look doubtful that ISAF/NATO forces will be enabled to remain as planned, preparing their Afghan counterparts to take the security initiative on their own to ensure that the country does not once again fall into the hands of the Taliban.  Distrust, unease with the crumbling partnership, ongoing 'friendly' assaults may produce a reluctance to remain until 2014 as planned.

And then, as planned, the Taliban will move in with comparative ease, as doubtless enough of the Afghan military and police decide to shift over allegiances to the obvious more powerful and organized and determined force, restoring the Taliban to power.