OHIO, USA — People who have studied the Middle East are left trying to figure out what could happen next after hearing the news about deadly explosions in Kabul.
Two Ohio professors say an attack like the one on Thursday wasn't a surprise.
“In a weird way I think it was to be expected,” said Dr. M. Joel Voss, University of Toledo.
“This was expected. This was not a matter of if, but when,” said Nukhet Sandal, Chair of Ohio University’s Political Science Department.
Sandal says this attack shifts the conversation with the attack coming from Isis K, an offshoot of the Isis group. Now, we're talking about fighting among different Jihadi organizations.
“This is a group that was established six years ago. It's an Isis branch and its goals were to both attack US and allied forces and to undermine Taliban credibility and governance,” said Sandal.
But how does this affect Afghan people, especially those trying to escape? Dr. Voss says he believes this will slow down evacuations in the region.
“Having a terrorist attack occur it's obviously an added fear, but I think you'll still see individuals try to escape. If anything this is more reason to try to escape,” said Dr. Voss.
The Taliban and President Biden agreed to the Aug. 31 deadline for evacuating Afghan civilians. As of now, both professors believe that evacuations will continue until that date.