Assessment of and prospects for the threat of Afghanistan’s terrorist attacks with the return of the Taliban 

Lee Man-jong 

(manjong74@naver.com) 

Chairman, 

Korean Association of Terrorism Studies 

English Abstract

The U.S. had to make an uneasy decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. It must be noted that  the U.S. considers the war in Afghanistan a “war of choice” rather than a “war of necessity.” The war in Afghanistan has plunged the U.S. into the mire of endless, seemingly unbeatable, series of wars for a nation that seemed to have no intention of defending itself. The U.S. had to make a realistic, but pitiless, decision of abandoning its ally in order to prevent further damage to its own people—for the sake of its national interests.

Concern about Afghanistan’s return to a host of terrorists

The reduction of U.S. influence in Afghanistan, as seen in the above-mentioned statement, may allow terrorist organizations to eventually flourish again in Afghanistan. Many Middle East experts are concerned about Afghanistan, for it could, again, become a haven for various terrorist groups. In fact, extremists’ armed violence is already prevalent.

The return of the Taliban and an increased threat in Southeast Asia

South Korea must pay more attention to the growing threat of terrorist organizations in Southeast Asia, which is geographically very close to South Korea, since the Taliban regained its control of Afghanistan. Recently, Singapore's security authorities have predicted that terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda may call upon ideological narratives to draw recruits to Afghanistan as a theatre for jihad and attract covert Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF) from Southeast Asia.

Peace is coexistence and co-prosperity.

It is time for South Korea to realize that tragic consequences of terrorism and violence are not foreign narratives that only happen in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. South Korea must devise its own plan to cope with ‘transformation into multicultural society', ‘refugee migration’, ‘Islamophobia’, and strengthen its diplomatic and defense capabilities. South Korea, amid the tension on the Korean Peninsula, has to learn lessons from the Afghanistan case. South Korea must strengthen its relations with allies and enhance diplomatic and security measures that are both multilateral and peace-enhancing in order to resolve the conflict of interests and build everlasting peace among nations with differing cultures.