527 Afghan Press on the Serena Hotel Attack

The Afghanwire newsletter has an interesting roundup of Afghan press reaction to the January 14 Taliban attack on Kabul’s Serena Hotel that killed eight people, including a Norwegian journalist. A few interesting things here:

  1. The hotel is located meters away from the Presidential Palace and the Ministry of Defense, a fact not lost on Afghan commentators.
  2. Sympathetic language in Al-Emarah, which cast the attack as a “martyrdom” operation against “occupiers” and the “puppet government.”
  3. Cheragh‘s analysis:

    [The timing of the attack was] directly connected to the winter strategy of the government and NATO military powers and it is their influence inside the governmental intelligence service.

    According to existing information, the Afghan government this winter is hoping that the clashes will naturally subside so as to target the important commanders of the Taliban in order to finish these people off in spring operations and decrease their operational and terror plans and operationsOn the other hand, the Taliban also don’t want to leave easily the battlefield open for their enemies and suffer casualties in order to retake lost areas [those captured by the government]. It means the Taliban have been investing in two separate procedures:

    1. The recruitment of soldiers and strengthening of strongholds: it is stated that 3000-5000 Taliban have recently been trained and are entering Afghanistan from Pakistan through 16 border-points in order to strengthen their current soldiers and keep the clash fresh/warm.
    2. Focus on civil targets in the cities: the use of suicide bombers to weaken the morale of government soldiers and decrease the measure of trust of the international community in the ability of government troops to protect and secure the atmosphere/environment of the residents and maintain the security of establishments even in the cities and capital.

    This is the 2nd time in one year that the Taliban were able to precisely target their political aims. Even though the visit of Dick Cheney, the US vice-president, was secret, the Taliban succeeded in sending a violent and aggressive message by crossing the security lines and [performing a] suicide attack. And they proved to the international community on Tuesday as well that they have selected their aims and that no one is protected: neither high-ranking foreign guests, nor the presidential palace.

    The attack two days ago was also part of the second tactic, the continuation of which could have negative outcomes.

  4. Pointed questions from Erada, which said the attack on the hotel showed “a security collapse” in Afghanistan:

    Based on the reports of Ghurzang’s internet news service, following the murder and deadly incident at the Kabul Serena Hotel, the Afghan president invited the Norwegian guests who had suffered the seriousness of affairs in Kabul Serena Hotel to stay in the presidential palace. This statement of Karzai highlights that security [is decreasing] and that the only place to enjoy security even within the country is the presidential palace.

    It is still unclear whether the president will invite all 25 million people in the country to the presidential palace or whether he will leave them to be burned in the strong fires of insecurity, or whether he only wants himself and his foreign diplomatic guests to stay in a secure environment.

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