50 killed in Taliban attack on Afghanistan airport. Washington Post.

An Afghan soldier stands guard after the clash. Washington Post/AP.

50 people were killed, along with 14 attackers, during a daring Taliban raid on an airport at Kandahar. Washington Post. A group of raiders, armed with RPG's rifles and suicide vests charged through the main gate at the airport. A 20 hour battle then ensued, with the Taliban taking the families of the soldiers at the base hostage. Several woman and children died in the attack, along with all 14 of the attackers. US troops use the airport, but no US troops were killed or hurt during the attack. US forces did participate in the battle though. The attack comes right before the Taliban were due to participate in peace talks being held in Pakistan. 

My Comment:

Afghanistan has certainly taken a back seat in the news lately. Iraq and Syria take up most of the headlines, and with ISIS terror attacks happening all the time, it can be easy to forget that US troops are still involved in Afghanistan, and are still at risk. This attack shows that even in a major base like the airport at Kandahar is vulnerable to Taliban attack. Though the "combat mission" in Afghanistan is "over", it's clear that out troops are still fighting there. They don't have to go out on patrol anymore to find a fight. The fight is coming to them. 

I'm not surprised that this attack happened. The Afghanistan security forces have been fighting a losing battle against the Taliban since the US drew down their forces last year. Afghan troops have been taking massive casualties and the Taliban have taken a lot of territory back. They have also conducted quite a few terrorist attacks. Their government is corrupt and they are way too reliant on US forces and airstrikes to survive 

I do think that the only reason that the Taliban hasn't taken over the country is the fact that US troops are still there in some fashion and the fact that the Taliban have split after the death of Mullah Omar. The Taliban are very divided about what they want to do in Afghanistan right now. Some groups want to give peace a chance, while others want to keep the war going. This disagreement has actually devolved into fighting, with no group having a huge advantage. I am guessing both sides will put aside their differences to fight the Afghan government, but they are still in a much weaker state then they would be if they were united. 

ISIS is yet another threat to the Taliban. Many militants, upset with the direction the Taliban is heading, have defected from them and joined ISIS. Though ISIS has nowhere near the power they have in Syria, Iraq or even Libya, they still have a toehold in Afghanistan, and they are getting stronger. ISIS tends to fight everyone, so this isn't necessarily bad news for either the Taliban or the Afghan military. It really depends on who ISIS decides to focus their efforts on. And, even as ISIS grows in strength in Afghanistan, they are still much weaker then they are anywhere else. 

Speaking of ISIS, it seems like this attack seems to be taking a play out of their playbook. Though it doesn't seem like they used the "car bomb and light infantry" tactic that they have deployed so effectively in Iraq and Syria, this attack has some obvious parallels to the Paris attacks. In both attacks gunmen armed with suicide vests targeted civilians and caused quite a bit of damage. The attack was slightly more targeted on a military asset, but they still targeted the families of the soldiers defending the base. This is an obvious act of terrorism, and it just goes to show that ISIS isn't the only game in town when it comes to atrocities. 

As Afghanistan descends into chaos, one wonders if withdrawing combat troops from Afghanistan was a good idea. The US people were, of course, sick of the war there, and nobody really wanted the war to continue. Withdrawal was probably inevitable, but I am not sure if it was a good idea. There is a very good chance that the Afghan government could fall, and the Taliban could take over. Once that happens they could again become a haven for al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups. Even worse, ISIS could take over as well, making the situation even worse.

My fear is that the Taliban or ISIS will take over Afghanistan and the country will become a terrorist state yet again. Once that happens, we might have to go right back into Afghanistan and start the war all over again. Or just let it fester and then complain when terrorists start using the country as a base... Either way the 14 years we spent fighting in the country would be all for nothing. But that is the way it looks like it is going...