(HorizonPost.com) – The middle east is characterized by complex regional politics that change and undulate like the shifting sands of the desert. But Afghanistan, in particular, is fractured among several factions. That’s one reason making any diplomatic headway to lend stability has been so challenging and why former President Trump decided it was time to pull our troops from that country.
It’s also the reason that unspeakably horrific attacks occur, like the bombing of a school on Saturday afternoon, May 8, that targeted girls 11 to 17 years old. According to CNN, the attack has left at least 85 dead and 147 wounded.
The death toll in a bomb attack targeting schoolgirls in Kabul on Saturday has risen to at least 85, Danish Hedayat, head of media for the second vice president of Afghanistan, told CNN.
Officials said most of those killed were schoolgirls. https://t.co/LbwOlAVO4s
— CNN International (@cnni) May 10, 2021
This is a developing situation, and the number of dead/injured is continuing to rise.
While no organization has taken responsibility for the attack, the Taliban has unequivocally denied any involvement despite the Afghan government’s suspicion. Most of the victims belonged to the Hazara ethnic community, a mostly Shiite Muslim group often targeted by the Islamic State (ISIS).
President Joe Biden recently announced his intention to withdraw all American combat troops from the country by September 11, 2021. Given the complexities of regional politics, the inherent instabilities and the fact that we’ve not been welcome there, the US presence might actually be a destabilizing force. In any case, our hearts go out to the grieving parents of those children who were killed or maimed. They were innocent victims.
Copyright 2021, HorizonPost.com
