Violence In Afghanistan.

Violence in Afghanistan continues, even though warring stakeholders have been discussing a peace deal for over a year. The US, the Afghan government and the Taliban have all expressed a willingness to negotiate, and yet, Sunday's gun attack on two female Afghan judges that led to their deaths indicates that there is still some misplaced belief in violence as a bargaining tool in the discussions.

The fallout of this latest attack is by no means small. The United States and the Afghan government have both indicated that the Taliban is behind this incident. The Taliban on the other hand, has not taken responsibility, but their predisposition to attack empowered women points to a solid motive. So far, the Taliban have yet to agree to a future Afghanistan where women enjoy equal rights. This is why pointing fingers at the militant outfit makes sense. The Taliban would be well-served by issuing a statement regarding this incident and others of its kind. If it is not the perpetrator, it should clarify this.

There have been targeted attacks on members of the intelligentsia in the country in the past year. This means that a strategy to deprive Afghanistan from its best minds is being...