Editorial: Weak local government contributing to insurgency

Since the fall of the Taleban regime, the Afghan people have been hoping their government will pay as much attention to regional administrations located in remote parts of the country as it does to the capital Kabul. If we take a quick look at all of the attempts that central government has made to develop governance in these remote areas, we can see little sign of improvement, especially in areas close to the border. The enemies of peace and stability are taking advantage of the weakness of local government, and their hit-and-run attacks have stepped up in recent days. We receive reports of suicide bombings and other types of attack in various parts of the country on a daily basis. The soft-heartedness of Afghan police manning a security post in the southern province of Helmand cost at the lives of four of their colleagues. They let an unidentified man stay the night at the checkpoint, and he then killed four policemen and made off. If we really want to ensure security and stability, if we want to prevent hit-and-run attacks, and if we want the power of central government to be expanded to remote regions, we have to make it a priority to enhance local administrations in border districts. By this we mean that improved, professional police units equipped with modern weapons must be deployed there. We are hoping that the government will devise and implement an effective strategy to make local government better.