Looking Towards Afghanistan’s Future After Suicide Bombings In Kabul

An Afghan man prays in front graves of victims of a suicide attack, in Kabul. Afghanistan held a national day of mourning on Sunday, a day after a suicide bomber killed at least 80 people who were taking part in a peaceful demonstration in Kabul. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group.
An Afghan man prays in front graves of victims of a suicide attack, in Kabul. Afghanistan held a national day of mourning on Sunday, a day after a suicide bomber killed at least 80 people who were taking part in a peaceful demonstration in Kabul. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group. Rahmat Gul / AP Photos
An Afghan man prays in front graves of victims of a suicide attack, in Kabul. Afghanistan held a national day of mourning on Sunday, a day after a suicide bomber killed at least 80 people who were taking part in a peaceful demonstration in Kabul. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group.
An Afghan man prays in front graves of victims of a suicide attack, in Kabul. Afghanistan held a national day of mourning on Sunday, a day after a suicide bomber killed at least 80 people who were taking part in a peaceful demonstration in Kabul. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group. Rahmat Gul / AP Photos

Looking Towards Afghanistan’s Future After Suicide Bombings In Kabul

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As the 2016 Democratic Convention wraps up, there has been much rhetoric directed at ISIS, but little mention of war-torn countries like Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. 

Terrorist attacks in Germany and France receive extensive news coverage while similar attacks in countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq receive much less attention. 

But last weekend in Kabul, suicide bombers killed at least 80 people and wounded hundreds at a rally of ethnic Hazaras. It was the country’s worst such attack in 15 years, according to government figures. ISIS claimed responsibility. In retaliation, Afghan troops killed 122 ISIS fighters, according to the Interior Ministry. 

Does this leave any possibility for peace and security in Afghanistan? Barnett Rubin, senior fellow and associate director of the Afghanistan Pakistan Regional Program at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, weighs in on the questions facing a country many observers call the place of a “forgotten war.”