Security situation has deteriorated again in Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province. Jalalabad as a key regional city has recently been hit by bloody attacks, an explosion a day consecutively over the last five days. In addition to blasts, kidnapping remains to be another major issue plaguing the lives of local residents. Armed groups often abduct people in broad daylight from the center of the city for ransom. Despite repeated complaints by the citizens, the problem has not been attended to appropriately. The residents of the city don’t feel safe with the new spate of violent attacks.
Security had worsened in Jalalabad with a spike in terrorist activities of the Islamic State or Daesh to an extent that there was fear of the fall of the city. But after the group was dismantled by Afghan and foreign troops, security had relatively improved in the provinces, especially in Jalalabad, though the level of organized crimes such as abduction and armed robberies had remained unchanged. Since the appointment of the new provincial governor, the relative calm in the province is unfortunately no longer there. Although the Taliban have reportedly decreased attacks in major cities based on a covert deal with the United States, Jalalabad has witnessed bloody security incidents over recent weeks, spreading fear among people once again. The fear is that Daesh, after being squashed, has regained the capability to spread terror by unleashing barbaric attacks.
Nangarhar is of great significance for Afghanistan, particularly the eastern provinces. The security of the city now considered as one of the country’s major and heavily populated cities must be a top priority for the central government besides the local administration. Heads of the security apparatuses must identify security gaps and loopholes and take concrete actions to address them. Nangarhar security affects the entire eastern region, so any negligence on the part of the government can have a heavy price for the government itself as well as people a lot. People should also speak out against incidents of insecurity and help the government in identifying the problems.
