Afghan Government in Dilemma

The Afghan government is adamantly refusing the Taliban’s demand to exchange Taliban inmates for 23 South Korean hostages. The government does not want to make the same decision in March when it freed Taliban prisoners in return for releasing an Italian reporter. South Korea is now at a loss.

Exchanging Prisoners Leads to the Expansion of the Taliban-

The Afghan government is concerned about the expansion of the Taliban if it accepts the terms.

The government thinks that it should not give way to Ghazni Province (where the South Koreans were kidnapped) this time because the province could serve as a gateway to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, for the Taliban, which is expanding its presence from the South.

“The kidnapping of South Koreans on the highway of Ghazni Province is evidence that the Taliban is moving toward Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan,” said Christian Science Monitor on Tuesday.

In other words, the Taliban’s control of the capital is closely related to the power of Afghan President Hamid Karzai in his country.

In fact, releasing Taliban prisoners could deal a fatal blow to the Afghan government.

The Times closely reported about what happened after Karzai released Ustad Muhammad Yaser, one of the group’s leaders, who were freed in March in exchange for an Italian reporter.

The article said that after his release, Yasar turned Wardak Province, 65 kilometers south of Kabul, into a “mini Taliban region.”

It also said that a 20-year-old German hospital was shut down and residents who had satellite dishes were battered. Those who cooperated with the government were executed, and most residents were drafted into the Taliban military.

spear@donga.com