What are the Kabul Attacks Signaling?

In January, Kabul endured three deadly attacks. On January 20, the Talibanstormed Kabul ’s InterContinental Hotel, killing 30 people (mainly foreigners) in a siege that lasted 14 hours. A week later,Taliban militantsdrove an ambulance into adesignated safe zone,killing at least95 people and injuring 158, whileISISclaimed responsibility for attacking theMarshal Fahim Military Academy west of Kabul that killed11 Afghan soldiers. President Trump responded by contending that there couldbe no negotiations with the Taliban. And though hisState of the Union addressonly briefly discussed foreign policy, the president vowed not to stop fighting until ISIS is defeated.  But neither the Taliban nor ISIS is the key to understanding what ’s going on in Afghanistan. Even turning attention toward Pakistan as a source of Afghanistan’s instability is proving to be unsatisfactory for those concerned about the region. So what do the Kabul attacks tell us?  Most observers of the U.S. war in Afghanistan consider the attacks a signal from Pakistan in light of current tensions within the U.S. –Pakistan relationship, which is currently at itslowest point. Pakistan ’s premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has anotorious relationship with theTaliban,Haqqani Network, and othermilitant groups. Since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, bothIndia andAfghanistan have blamed Pakistan for continued militant violence in Afghanistan. For example, Mahmoud Saikal,  Afghan...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs