Taliban are regaining strength, a fact clear to everyone who keeps his eyes open to the developments taking place around him. Not long after it released the 21 South Korean hostages, the Taliban has declared that it is the beginning of its war on democracy and the NATO forces in Afghanistan are on the top of its hit list. It means first the abduction and then the release of the Korean hostages hands a new weapon of abductions to the Taliban militants, which they will use to appease themselves and their warlords.
Abduction is a weapon that is increasingly being used by the Taliban to give vent to its irrational demands. When the war on terror began, the Taliban seemed to run helter-skelter for its life. But, with every passing day, despite of increased NATO forces in Afghanistan, Taliban is on the rise, thanks to the assistance from across the border. The Taliban abducted a group of 23 South Korean aid workers in Afghanistan, who were on a peace mission and demanded the release of their jailed militant brethren. When the demand for the release wasn’t paid heed to by the government, Taliban struck another deal, this time it exchanged the 21 hostages for $20 million that would be used to purchase weapons of mass destruction and fund suicide attacks.
It was known that either the hostages would be killed or exchanged for ransom. When the Korean hostages were finally released for a huge sum, days after their long ordeal, the future turn of events lay barren in front of our eyes. This will be the beginning of a series of abductions-killings-exchange-ransom.
The Taliban emboldened after the hostage drama has warned that it is the beginning of their assault on democratic forces, among which those serving in Afghanistan as NATO troops are most vulnerable. It also sends dangerous signals for those already under Taliban captivity. The South Korean hostage drama has certainly set a dangerous precedent for times to come.
Via: Reuters
