Carnage in Kabul

We are sickened by yet another terrorist attack, this time in Kabul, with a bomb blast that ripped through the city's diplomatic quarter, killing at least 90 people – the death toll could go higher as more bodies are recovered – and wounding hundreds. Among the casualties, mostly Afghan civilians, were women and children. So far only the IS have claimed responsibility for the attack, with the Taliban denying it and Afghan intelligence agencies pointing fingers to other religious militant groups.

Whatever group is behind such horrible carnage the truth is that these attacks are cowardly and completely against Islam, the religion in the name of which it has been carried out. That the attacks should take place in the holy month of Ramadan, makes this abundantly clear. Already Kabul has faced a string of attacks in the first three months of this year, the Wednesday blast being one of the deadliest. The question is how will Afghanistan, already devastated by decades of conflict, fight the continuous and growing onslaught of terror from various quarters?

More than anything it shows how volatile and ungovernable the country has become and Nato-backed military is just not being able to gain any significant ground against terrorists.

While we vehemently condemn this despicable, cowardly, diabolical attack, the world must acknowledge that the fight against terror cannot be won through more arms, more violence and more interference by big powers in the governance and politics of other countries. Rather it has to be fought on an ideological level that will stop the brainwashing of misguided men and women who commit such cruel acts in the name of religion.