Afghanistan (MNN) — U.S. election confusion and increasing terror attacks raise Afghanistan’s uncertainty to a new level. A new report says violence is up by 50-percent this quarter over last.
Under a proposed peace agreement made in February, U.S. troops will reduce to 5,000 by the end of this month. However, this exit hinges on the Taliban keeping its end of the deal, and increased attacks seem to indicate otherwise. Plus, U.S. follow-through could depend on which presidential candidate emerges as winner.
“Peace proposals come and go. It’s very difficult to negotiate with groups that have terrorist roots and are motivated by things other than peace,” Uncharted Ministries’ Tom Doyle says.
“Will this peace proposal work? We don’t know. But we pray that God intervenes, and there can be stability within this country.”
On Monday, Islamic State militants attacked Kabul University, killing 22 people and wounding dozens more. Abdul Akbari survived the shooting and described his experience here:
“The terrorists came as suicide attackers and killers, murdering many. One of them, wearing a type of security guard uniform and no face covering, opened our classroom door and looked us straight in the eyes, shouting ‘Allahu akbar’ before starting to shoot. Many of my friends are dead. I saw them lying on the floor when I tried to escape.”
(Image by Amber Clay from Pixabay)
“Afghanistan has been in war and battles for decades now. It’s heartbreaking because the people want peace,” Doyle observes.
Whether violence comes from the I.S. or Taliban, “terrorists want to rise through the chaos they create and say, ‘We’re the answer, we’re the solution. We can guard you; let us take control, and you’ll be safe’,” he says.
“That’s how they come into power; this is what happened with Hamas in Gaza.”
More Afghanistan headlines here.
How to help Afghanistan’s Christians
Afghanistan is the world’s second-worst persecutor of Christians, according to Open Doors. Yet, God’s Spirit is moving in the war-torn nation. “People are turning to faith in Christ in Afghanistan, but it’s such a difficult existence there,” Doyle says.
“They meet Jesus [and] some of them become martyrs. We need to pray for our Afghani brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Following Jesus in Afghanistan isn’t merely dangerous; it’s deadly. Leaving Islam, also known as apostasy, is punishable by death. “Many of them are Muslims that come to faith in Christ,” Doyle says of Afghani Christians.
“[There is] definitely an ‘underground believer’ community. We met believers that had to be careful, especially if they’ve come out of a Muslim background, [because] they’re so watched.”
This month, you can pray for Afghani Christians like Reza. November 18th is the first-ever MBB Global Prayer Day, an annual event mobilizing prayer for Muslim-background believers worldwide. Learn more here. Use the prompts listed alongside this article to guide your prayers, or use this Prayercast video.
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy Amber Clay via Pixabay.
