The recent terrorist incident at the "Shama Hedayat" educational center in Dasht-e-Barchi, west of Kabul, has once again raised serious questions about the ability of the Afghan caretaker government to provide security for educational centers and civilians. This area, which has been the target of deadly attacks by terrorist groups in recent years, has now become a test to measure the practical commitment of officials to the physical, psychological, and social security of citizens. While providing security is not limited to the absence of widespread war, citizens are demanding effective prevention, protection of students' travel routes, transparent investigations, and a decisive judicial response; because an attack on a school is an attack on the academic future and social hope of a generation, and Dasht-e-Barchi today needs tangible and practical security in the field more than just slogans.
Those who have believed and have not mixed their faith with injustice - those are the ones who will have security and they are the ones who are guided.
Considering the history of terrorist attacks in western Kabul and the explosive attack on the "Shama Hedayat" educational center, the continuation and continuation of such incidents, it is necessary for the caretaker government, especially the officials of the security institutions, to pay close attention to the psychological and social effects of insecurity on families and students.
Security is achieved when citizens can leave their homes without fear, students can go to school with confidence, families do not worry about their children returning, and educational, religious, medical, and public centers become places to live and grow, not places where the possibility of deadly attacks is always present.
Without a doubt, the security incidents in Dasht-e-Barchi are not just an explosive event or a limited urban incident. West Kabul has repeatedly witnessed terrorist attacks on schools, educational centers, sports centers, public transportation, religious centers, and other civilian gatherings in recent years. This area, which is predominantly inhabited by Shiites, has always faced a continuous and worrying pattern of bloody and deadly attacks.
The terrorist incident at the “Shamaa Hedayat” educational center has once again confronted government officials with a serious question: are there sufficient security measures in place to protect students, teachers, and educational centers in Kabul? The answer to this question requires going beyond statistics, declarations, and general claims and focusing on security on the ground; that is, security that ordinary citizens can fully experience in their daily lives.
In Dasht-e-Barchi, security is still measured by the bitter memory of the past. This area is not just a residential area in western Kabul; it has become one of the most important population centers for Afghanistan’s Shiites in recent years, and at the same time, it has been the target of deadly attacks many times.
Not too long ago, a group of civilians and a large number of female students were martyred in a bomb attack near the Sayyid al-Shuhada (AS) School in Dasht-e-Barchi.
Investigative reports on the incident indicate that the school was located in an area with a history of high threats and that there were no special security measures in place for it. Before that, the “Mou’ud” and “Kawsar Danesh” educational centers were also targeted by terrorist attacks, and there were also explosions at an educational center in Dasht-e Barchi, and in the same year, the “Kaj” educational center was also targeted.
This series of incidents in Dasht-e Barchi was not just a series of explosions; the issue is the continued feeling of insecurity in a society that is made up of a significant number of students, teenagers, and young families.
It is very clear that the school should be the safest place in the city, because in any healthy society, the school is a symbol of the future. When a student enters school, his family should be sure that he is in a safe, scientific, and educational environment. However, if the school gate, the surrounding alleys, or the students’ route become the site of an explosion, the damage from the incident will go far beyond the direct victims.
Scientific research shows that in the current situation, an explosion will have three categories of victims:
The first victims are people who lose their lives or health;
The second category is families who face mental and psychological trauma with fear, mourning, sadness, and grief;
And the third category of victims is the future of society and public trust in government officials.
The experience of Afghanistan shows that attacks on educational centers can cause fear in families, reduce student attendance, indiscriminate migration, drop out of school, and spread social anxiety. This is even more important in a situation where the Afghan education system itself is facing major crises. Therefore, any insecurity against educational centers deals a double blow to Afghanistan; it threatens both the lives of citizens and the country's scientific future.
