KABUL – Osama bin Laden is dead, but there are fears that suicide bombers might still cause havoc in Afghanistan. He was killed in Pakistan, but the war on terror and extremism continues far from the place, where he was hunted down by American Special Forces in Pakistan. Kabul, the Afghan capital, is very concerned that brainwashed children have been trained up then sent to Afghanistan to blow themselves up in crowded areas. They don't just target foreigners and international troops, but also ordinary people, even schoolchildren. In Kabul, a woman called Mrs Latifa, a cook working for a company, told me that her eight-year-old son and his classmates had been warned by their teachers about child suicide bombers. They have been told to report any suspicious activity or any children they don't know, hanging around the school. Apparently, these new suicide bombers are as young as 11 years old. According to officials, they are born in Pakistan and educated there in Islamic madrasas, before being sent to Afghanistan on their deadly missions. These kids usually come from very poor families and these madrasas offer them food and a place to sleep. Poor Muslim families who can't afford to feed their sons send them to these madrasas, most of which are founded by the Saudi government. They are given their meals and a roof over their head, but these innocent children are filled with hatred, taught by their teachers to hate anyone, especially the ‘infidels'. These madrasas turn innocent children into monsters, who don't bat an eyelid when told to murder other Muslims, even other children, because their teachers tell them they're doing so ‘for the sake of God'. ISAF's door in Kabul has been closed for the past week to strangers walking round the compound. The whole of Afghanistan, especially Kabul, is on high alert. Afghans are used to living with fear, as the war on terror, which started almost a decade ago, continues. It has yet to bring the promised security and stability. With the US troops due to leave Afghanistan within three years, in 2014, the main argument is over the ability of the Afghan Police to continue the fight and secure their nation. Billions of dollars, donated by the international community, but mostly by the US, have made little difference. In spite of bin Laden's death, no-one in Afghanistan feels optimistic. They doubt that their nation will become a safer place and Taliban will give up the fight. The people believe bin Laden's death is not an end to this war, if these fundamentalist religious schools continue to operate in Pakistan. They think the war on terror should focus on Pakistan, not Afghanistan. Afghans are worried that the US will now say that their mission has been accomplished with the death of bin Laden, and that the troops might start pulling out ahead of time. They believe the US is happy now Bin Laden is dead. “There is no longer any reason for the Americans to stay,” Latifa told me. “If the Americans fought the Pakistani Taliban on their own soil, rather than here, it would be safer for my son to go to school.” Bin Laden's death makes ordinary Afghans feel worried about their future, while many investors will probably pack their bags, if the international troops start flying home. The window of opportunities for business there is becoming ever smaller. Any investor who stays will be very anxious to wrap up his project by 2014. It's doubtful that any of them will stay after that! Yes, everyone's worried that Afghanistan is about to revert to the dark ages that existed here only a few years ago, at the turn of the century. Entekhabifard is an Iranian journalist, who regularly contributes to The Egyptian Gazette and its weekly edition, the Mail.
