Islamists tighten hold on Kabul

The audacious six-hour rocket and suicide bomb attack on Kabul’s international airport targeting US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg highlighted the speed with which the security situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating. The airport, close to the US embassy, is in the heart of one of the most heavily fortified parts of the city. It is supposedly terrorist proof and immune to sustained, intense attacks.

The Taliban and Islamic State claimed responsibility for the assault, with a Taliban spokesman saying the insurgents targeted the aircraft carrying Mr Mattis to Kabul for security talks with President Ashraf Ghani. Mr Mattis and Mr Stoltenberg had left the airport minutes before the firing began. Their arrival had been a tight secret, suggesting a security breach. The attack coincided with the anniversary of the Taliban’s capture of Kabul in 1996. As Mr Mattis and Mr Stoltenberg met Mr Ghani, US warplanes assisted Afghan special forces to end the attack.

The assault on Afghanistan’s main lifeline to the outside world comes amid US estimates that the Taliban again controls half the country following Barack Obama’s grossly premature withdrawal of US and NATO forces in 2014. Mr Stoltenberg fears Afghanistan may “again become a safe haven for international terrorism”. The consequences would be disastrous. The build-up of US and NATO troops to 18,000 to meet the danger must be hastened. So should Donald Trump’s plan to lean heavily on Pakistan over its double-dealing with the Taliban. The Kabul assault showed the threat of a takeover by Islamist terrorists is strong.