The Taliban is fighting a losing battle in Afghanistan. Their leaders are being captured; there are too many troops against them. They have resorted to kidnapping to get what they want. The kidnapping of these twenty-three Korean aid workers is not the first case; the Taliban have previously abducted two German engineers and an Italian reporter as well. I think its is cowardly and cruel to use innocent people as hostages.
In this kidnapping, there are some who feel that the Koreans have to take some responsibility as well. They were reckless to travel in a small group in that region without a bodyguard, opening themselves to ambush.
The Taliban has left the Afghan government in a dilemma. From the humanitarian point of view, twenty-three lives were at stake, two have already been sacrificed. Since there is a possibility of saving them, why not? What could be more important than saving a life? However, from the political point of view, giving in to the terrorist demands will only open a Pandora’s Box. President Karzai faced severe criticism from the West when he released five Taliban prisoners in exchange for an Italian reporter in March. If the government gave in again, it would lose its authority and kidnappings would become more rampant. Also, it would be unjust to the families of victims of the Taliban. Either way, President Karzai and his government are facing political hara-kiri.
My heart goes out to the hostages and their families. The hostages, who went to Afghanistan out of goodwill, now find themselves in a dangerous situation. Their lives are at stake and they are now suffering and terrified. Their relatives must be worried sick. We can all empathise with their point of view that the government is being unreasonable and hard-hearted in not acceding to the Taliban.
How can this grim situation apply in safe and sound Singapore? Does it mean that we should not send any more aid workers to Afghanistan or similar places? But we know that in these countries, the people are suffering and they need aid. If nobody goes, the locals will suffer. In the end, it is a personal decision for each volunteer-is it worth the risk? But for those who decide to go, it is their responsibility to take the necessary precautions for their own safety. They should not hurt their country and the international community by unnecessary risk-taking.
The final decision adopted by the Afghan government has long-term implications. It will serve as a benchmark for future similar situations. Terrorists will know if they can continue using kidnapping as their modus operandi.
This hostage crisis has left even politicians and diplomats in a dilemma. A layman like me would only have limited knowledge and information, nor would I know what the “right solution” is. However, I do know that the biggest injustice of this whole matter is that the only winner is the terrorists. It brings home the point that terrorism must be fought at all costs.
