Expanding destruction in Africa brings back painful memories for Afghans

Al-Qaeda’s expanding campaign of terror and sabotage across parts of Africa mirrors the group’s devastating legacy in Afghanistan.

The targeted destruction of critical infrastructure in African countries echoes the devastation Afghans endured under decades of extremist violence.

Faizullah, 72, a Kabul resident, recalled how terrorist groups had turned Afghanistan’s once-vibrant cities into ruins.

"Until the Soviet invasion and the arrival of global terrorists, including al-Qaeda, Kabul was a very developed and beautiful city," he told Salaam Times.

He said that watching recent events in Africa feels like reliving Afghanistan’s dark history.

"I see al-Qaeda applying the same methods in African countries that it used in Afghanistan," he said.

"The people of Africa, like Afghans, have become victims of al-Qaeda’s inhuman and terrorist objectives," he added.

Faizullah said, some African nations now face the same fate Afghanistan once suffered, underscoring the need for global action to curb and dismantle al-Qaeda.

Al-Qaeda’s destructive legacy

Najibullah Haqdoost, a university professor in Herat, echoed the sentiment, saying al-Qaeda bears responsibility for widespread destruction in both regions.

"Al-Qaeda, either directly or through its proxy groups in Afghanistan, was the main driver of war and the destruction of the country’s infrastructure," he said.

"Over more than four decades of al-Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan, most of the country’s infrastructure and public facilities were destroyed," he added.

Haqdoost warned that al-Qaeda’s strategy remains unchanged, it continues causing catastrophic damage.

A dark, looming shadow

Across the African Sahel, al-Qaeda affiliates, including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), have spent more than a decade destroying critical infrastructure.

In 2012, the group demolished the historic Timbuktu mausoleums in Mali, recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Similar attacks on cultural and historical symbols aim to erase the identities pivotal to sustaining local communities.

The damage extends across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where schools, roads, and transportation systems have been repeatedly targeted.

In Somalia, al-Shabaab destroyed the port of Kismayo, further crippling local economies and creating lasting economic hardships for civilians.

Armed attacks, bombings, and kidnappings have turned major routes into deadly passageways, while strikes on government buildings have halted essential public services.

Al-Qaeda’s recent economic blockade of Mali’s cities has closed schools, universities, and government offices, further deepening the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Rahmatullah Shirzai, a human rights activist in Herat, said al-Qaeda leaves devastation wherever it operates.

"We Afghans have witnessed the harm caused by al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups in our own country," he said.

"Years later, we still see the devastation al-Qaeda left behind in Afghanistan. The group is now using that same pattern of destruction in Africa," Shirzai said.