Trauma, social destruction inflicted by extremists may take generations to heal

KABUL -- Al-Qaeda's legacy of violence in Afghanistan extends far beyond the physical pain it has inflicted to encompass profound psychological trauma and social destruction that experts say will take generations to overcome.

In the decades since it emerged, the group has used the country as a launchpad for global terrorism and has severely undermined its internal security, said Netherlands-based counterterrorism expert Shoaib Rahmani.

Yet through its videos, messages and statements, al-Qaeda has attempted to portray these attacks as part of a war aimed at "defending the faith," he said.

"This group has used terrorism to justify its political and ideological objectives," said Kabul-based political analyst Samir Rezayee.

"Its ideology has fueled hatred, terrorism and bloodshed, resulting in thousands of innocent victims and widespread conflict and insecurity," he told Salaam Times, noting that the effects "are still visible in many regions of the world."

"Groups like al-Qaeda don't just harm with bombs and bullets, they leave deep psychological and social scars," psychiatrist Nasratullah Hakimi of Kunduz Regional Hospital told Salaam Times.

"These groups instill fear and distrust in society, robbing younger generations of hope for the future."

"Where they operate, social structures collapse, families are torn apart, and human potential is diverted toward migration or cycles of violence," he said.

Psychological scars

Children and adolescents exposed to such violence often grow up with psychological disorders, hatred and a desire for revenge, psychologists say.

"Combating this phenomenon can't be done solely with military force," Hakimi said. "We need a united effort from educational systems, media and religious leaders to raise awareness and help society heal."

Groups like al-Qaeda distort Qur'anic verses and hadiths for their own sinister purposes, said religious scholar Mawlawi Mohiuddin Yaqubi, of Mazar-e-Sharif.

"They mostly target unaware, unemployed and uneducated youth, using false promises of paradise and holy jihad to lure them into violent campaigns," he told Salaam Times.

"These groups have turned religion into a tool for power and revenge, completely disconnected from the true spirit of Islam, which is a religion of mercy and coexistence," Yaqubi said.

"Every scholar has a duty to expose these deceptions and educate the public, so that no one uses the name of religion to shed innocent blood."

Al-Qaeda's devastating attacks include the 9/11 attacks in the United States in 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people and the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which left 224 dead and over 5,000 injured.

The group's Bali nightclub bombings in Indonesia killed over 200 people in 2002; its 2004 Madrid, Spain train bombings killed 193; and its 2005 London bombings resulted in 56 deaths.