News Analysis: Security lapses enable terrorists to increase operations in Afghanistan: Local analysts

Militancy and subversive activities have been constantly rising in Afghanistan since mid-April this year and the anti-government militants in their latest strikes conducted three deadly offensives in a single day on Monday in the fortified capital city of Kabul leaving Afghans in shock.

The three bloody attacks, two of them which took place near the defense ministry, according to officials, claimed 41 lives and injured more than 100 others, have prompted observers and those with knowledge of the matter to evaluate and determine the reasons for the deteriorating security situation in the conflict-ridden country.

Expressing concerns over increasing security incidents, Afghan analysts believed that security lapses have enabled the Taliban and associated hardliner groups to exploit the situation to further their own interests in destabilizing security and defaming the government.

"No doubt, the main reasons for increasing security incidents and terrorist attacks in Afghanistan are security faults and poor management of those at the helm of affairs," a military analyst and retired army brigadier, Mahmoud Haidari, told Xinhua.

Backing his notion, the analyst lambasted what he described as "internal differences over sharing of power" among the top leaders of the government, and asserted that persistent differences among top leaders of the National Unity Government have enabled the Taliban and other militant groups to avail the situation for their interests and speed up operations elsewhere in the country.

The analyst asserted that the Taliban outfit is on the "payroll of foreign intelligence agencies" and their masters provide them funding and equipment to fight in Afghanistan, as well as seizing weapons from Afghan forces after overrunning military installations.

Taliban militants, according to observers, are stronger than in any time since their regime collapse in late 2001 and have control over more regions mostly in rural areas.

Fighters loyal to the hardliner Taliban outfit, according to local sources close to the matter, have been challenging the government forces in several provinces and have gained ground in the southern Helmand, western Farah, northern, Badakhshan, Kunduz, Baghlan, Faryab and Takhar provinces.

The chain of terrorist attacks over the past couple of months for which Taliban outfit has claimed responsibility have killed countless innocent civilians and inflicted immeasurable economic losses and damage to property and infrastructure.

In the capital city of Kabul alone, properties worth millions of U.S. dollars have been lost due to terrorist attacks.

"The terrorist attack in Kabul on Monday night and Tuesday cost me around 2 million U.S. dollars in losses," the manager of a construction company, Abdul Basir Bina, told Xinhua.

According to Bina, by attacking civilian areas and business centers the Taliban militants want to terrorize people and discourage investment in the country.

Bina also warned that the "continued failure of government to check terrorist activities, especially in the capital city of Kabul would discourage business community to invest here." He added that continued subversive activities, shrinking investment and capital flight would eventually increase poverty and ultimately pave the way for recruitment of unemployed people by militants.

"A lack of coordination among concerned entities, poorly equipped security forces and security lapses, have catalyzed the Taliban and terrorists into intensifying their activities and even launch deadly attacks at the heart of Kabul," another political observer, Koka Jan Niazi, told local media. Endit