In the early days of the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan, some regional countries were eager to embrace this new development, believing that their support for the Taliban had borne fruit. They thought that with the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan and the fall of the legitimate government, they had achieved their strategic goals. Some regional officials called the Taliban an authentic movement for the region, no longer hesitating to display friendly relations with the group in Kabul’s Serena Hotel. Others competed to activate their embassies in Taliban-controlled Kabul and accept Taliban representatives in Afghanistan’s political and consular missions. However, as days passed, this initial enthusiasm gradually turned into despair and frustration as these countries were forced to bear heavy costs due to security threats arising from the activities of terrorist groups under the Taliban’s umbrella.
The growing power and activity of terrorist groups originating from Afghanistan forced regional countries to seek ways to combat terrorism and its consequences, such as the spread of illegal migration and drug trafficking. One of the solutions adopted was the construction of barriers along Afghanistan’s borders with its neighboring countries. This article seeks to answer the fundamental question: can wall construction prevent the threat of terrorism from reaching the region’s countries?
What is the Main Issue?
Considering the current conditions and the new security environment in the region and the world, focusing on individuals as the main agents of terrorism and confining it to a specific geography as a means of limiting terrorism is a very traditional and ineffective approach. The radical jihadist narrative in Afghanistan and some Islamic communities over the past fifty years has been promoted with intensity, to the point that it has now become a serious belief among various layers of many Islamic societies. The current global conditions, including widespread access to technology and ease of travel, have made the propagation and spread of radical narratives remarkably easy.
Radical jihadist groups, unlike in previous decades, no longer need to move people to achieve their goals from different communities to another location. They now propagate their narrative through virtual networks, media, and technological infrastructure. For example, ISIS did not send people from Syria and Iraq to establish a branch in Afghanistan; rather, by promoting its narrative, it was able to attract locals and begin its activities. Similarly, active members of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and Africa are largely local individuals who have been drawn to these narratives.
Therefore, wall construction along Afghanistan’s borders will not be effective in preventing the influence of terrorist groups. While such barriers might help somewhat in curbing drug trafficking and illegal migration, they will not have much impact on combating terrorism. One example of the failure of wall construction in combating terrorism is Pakistan’s efforts along the Durand Line.
In 2017, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan decided to build a wall along the Durand Line, which spans approximately 2,640 kilometers. This project, which cost over $500 million, ended up demonstrating that even during the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, rather than under the Taliban, the wall was unable to prevent the movement of terrorist groups. This failure became even more apparent with the return of the Taliban to power. Terrorist groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) continue to cross the wall, creating security threats in Pakistan. Furthermore, the radical narrative that has taken root in Pakistani society, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, has not been eliminated by such walls.
Initially, Iran also had a positive stance toward the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Some Iranian officials considered the group an authentic movement for the region and even called for increased engagement with the Taliban. However, it wasn’t long before Tehran, too, faced escalating security threats, drug trafficking, and illegal migration from Afghanistan. As a result, Iran had to adopt more stringent measures, including wall construction along its eastern border with Afghanistan.
However, even with the construction of a wall, extremist narratives and ideological threats spread widely through media and social networks can easily penetrate various segments of Iranian society. Security threats from Afghanistan and Taliban-affiliated terrorist groups remain a major concern for Tehran, and wall construction alone cannot prevent the infiltration of extremist ideologies.
The situation in Central Asia is similar. Despite interacting with the Taliban, countries in this region, including members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), are increasingly aware of the terrorist threats originating from Afghanistan. Recently, member states of this organization have supported Tajikistan’s proposal to build a wall along its border with Afghanistan, calling it a solution to combat terrorism. On the other hand, these countries are also potentially susceptible to religious extremism. Although major terrorist groups have not yet operated extensively in Central Asia, hundreds of citizens from these countries are active in international terrorist groups, especially ISIS and al-Qaeda. This is why Central Asian countries are also resorting to constructing walls along their shared borders with Afghanistan.
However, given that extremist ideologies are easily spread through media and social networks, wall construction alone cannot prevent the infiltration of these ideas. This threat has become a social and cultural issue that requires more comprehensive actions.
Can Wall Construction Prevent the Export of Terrorism?
When examining the effectiveness of wall construction as a security measure to prevent the export of terrorism, it is important to recognize that terrorism, especially religious terrorism, and jihadist radicalism, is a complex and global phenomenon that is more dependent on ideologies, communication networks, and modern digital tools than on physical geography. Therefore, wall construction cannot effectively address terrorism at a regional or global level. As previously mentioned, terrorism and religious extremism are narratives that can take root in societies with favorable conditions for their growth. Unfortunately, the extremist religious narrative, which has been propagated for years by individuals and religious institutions in Islamic communities, has now created more favorable conditions than ever for the rise of extremism and religious terrorism in these societies.
Countries in Central Asia, despite having strong security structures, remain vulnerable to the growth of religious extremism. The presence of hundreds of Central Asian citizens in the ranks of ISIS in the Middle East and Afghanistan, or the detention of individuals from these countries for alleged connections with terrorist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaeda in Western countries, indicates the serious vulnerability of these societies to the influence of terrorist groups. These domestic threats exist in Central Asian societies, and wall construction cannot prevent their spread.
Changes in Terrorism Dissemination Methods
One of the key aspects that wall construction cannot address is the new methods of promoting and spreading terrorism in the digital age. Terrorist groups like ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban have shown in recent years that by using social networks and digital media, they can recruit fighters and spread their ideologies worldwide. Unlike past decades, when terrorist groups traditionally moved through physical migration to target countries, today terrorism spreads primarily through cyberspace and online propaganda. Individuals are recruited directly via the internet by terrorist groups, without needing to cross borders or physical walls. This means that wall construction not only cannot prevent the spread of these ideologies but could also create a false sense of security while ignoring real threats.
Social and Cultural Roots of Terrorism
Terrorism and religious extremism are not only global phenomena but also have deep roots in the social, economic, and cultural contexts of various societies, especially considering decades of active jihadist groups and individuals in the region. These phenomena often arise from illiteracy, the manipulation of popular beliefs through the misrepresentation of religion, poverty, injustice, corruption, and political instability in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of Central Asia. These conditions create a favorable environment for the acceptance of extremist ideologies and push vulnerable individuals to join terrorist groups.
In such circumstances, creating physical walls and closed borders cannot provide a sustainable solution to prevent the infiltration of these ideologies. Even if borders are closed, the threat of the spread of extremist ideologies, particularly in vulnerable communities, persists. Terrorist groups can easily attract recruits and spread their propaganda within society by exploiting social, economic, and political gaps. These groups utilize new technologies, media, and social networks to promote their ideas, especially in regions with governmental weakness and corruption.
Therefore, combating terrorism requires fundamental and long-term approaches that include establishing political stability, strengthening government institutions, improving economic and social conditions, and promoting social justice. To eradicate extremism, structural changes must be pursued in these societies to reduce the appeal of terrorist groups and guide social conditions toward peace and stability.
Wall Construction as a Temporary and Superficial Solution
Fencing at borders can be seen as a temporary and superficial solution to combat terrorism and security threats. While this measure is effective in areas such as countering drug trafficking and illegal migration, when it comes to combating terrorism and extremism, especially transnational threats, there is a need for more comprehensive and sustainable approaches. Fencing is merely an immediate reaction that cannot address the complex and global roots of terrorism.
Terrorism is a complex phenomenon that leverages networks and extremist ideologies and uses digital tools for its expansion. To combat these threats, measures should include strengthening international cooperation, combating extremist ideologies, and addressing social and economic crises. Fencing may reduce security threats temporarily, but it cannot stop the spread of religious terrorism and extremism.
To effectively combat terrorism, comprehensive approaches should be considered, which, in addition to enhancing security, also address social and economic dimensions. This includes international cooperation, countering terrorism financing, and creating economic and social opportunities. Fencing cannot solve such a complex issue, and long-term, sustainable strategies are needed to counter terrorism.
Conclusion
Terrorism is a global and complex phenomenon that, in the current context, uses networks, ideologies, and digital tools. In this environment, fencing cannot prevent the spread of terrorism. This measure is only a superficial solution that will not eradicate the social and cultural roots of terrorism. To effectively combat terrorist threats, comprehensive and global solutions are needed, including fighting extremism, strengthening judicial and security systems, and international cooperation to address common threats. While fencing may temporarily reduce security threats, it cannot solve the overall issue of terrorism.
Understanding the history of terrorist groups’ activities and their goals, which aim to establish their specific Islamic system worldwide, shows that fencing is only one of the initial measures to combat terrorism. This solution may be somewhat effective in areas such as preventing arms trafficking, drug trafficking, and illegal migration, but it cannot stop the spread of religious terrorism and extremism
Therefore, regional and global countries must take effective actions to end the Taliban regime and establish a legitimate and lawful government in Afghanistan. Expecting the Taliban to combat terrorism and drug trafficking is as superficial and absurd as asking a wolf to protect sheep.
You can read the Persian version of this analysis here:
مرزهای بسته و تهدیدات باز: آیا دیوارکشی میتواند تروریسم را مهار کند؟
