Once again, the future of Afghanistan appears to be in question. In recent weeks, there has been a surge in violence in the capital city of Kabul and the Taliban is reclaiming large swaths of land throughout the country. The Afghan Army appears unable to counter either trend. The United States last year agreed to increase its troop presence, but that has not helped a besieged Afghan government. Plainly, strategy must change if Afghanistan is not to descend again into chaos.
In the last two weeks, a series of attacks have killed nearly 150 people and wounded hundreds of others. In the first, terrorists attacked an international hotel in Kabul, taking hostages for over 13 hours and killing at least 20 people. Days after the hotel siege, Islamic State militants attacked the office of Save the Children, a British nonprofit organization doing charity work in Jalalabad, killing at least four people and injuring dozens in a 10-hour battle. That was followed by another even more deadly suicide attack: A bomb-laden ambulance exploded in the Kabul city center, killing more than 100 people and wounding an estimated 235 more. Two days later, a team of suicide bombers attacked a military base in Kabul. When the fighting was over, 11 Afghan army personnel were dead and 16 wounded; four militants were killed and one captured.
The Taliban and remnants of the IS group have claimed credit for the assaults, but it is not clear which group is truly responsible. Most experts believe that the Taliban is the more likely culprit. Afghan authorities have blamed the Pakistan-based Haqqani network, which has links to the Taliban. There is speculation that the Haqqani group's resurgence could be a consequence of the U.S. decision to suspend military aid to Pakistan: The violence is intended to show the damage that would result if Washington truly cuts ties to the Pakistan military.