Two days after Afghanistan’s First Vice President Amrullah Saleh raised the Durand Line issue and spoke of Peshawar as the summer capital of the Islamic Republic, the former intelligence chief was targeted by an improvised explosive device attack ( IED) in Kabul that left three of his bodyguards injured. , many bystanders were killed or maimed in the blast.
The device was placed under a culvert through which Saleh’s cavalcade was passing on its way to the vice president’s office. The IED was so powerful that gas cylinders in nearby stores exploded due to concussion. There are unconfirmed reports that 15 people were killed and another 50 injured in the attack. Saleh, intelligence reports confirm, is safe.
In a video message released after the attack, Saleh said the attack took place at 7.30 am, as he was on his way to work. The place where the suicide attack took place was narrow, he said, appreciating the swift action of the security officers present.
The scene of the attack in Kabul.
Saleh, a former intelligence chief, has survived several assassination attempts, including one in his office last year that killed 20 people.
The attack on Saleh comes at a time when the ultra-conservative Sunni Pashtun Taliban group plans to hold intra-Afghan negotiations in Qatar with the support of the United States.
“No Afghan politician of national stature can ignore the Durand Line issue. It will condemn him in life and after life. It is a problem that needs discussion and resolution. Expecting us to give it away for free is unrealistic. Peshawar used to be the winter capital of Afg, ”he said in a tweet on September 7.
The devastation caused by the explosion in Kabul.
According to the diplomatic base in Kabul and New Delhi, the needle of suspicion for the Saleh attack is towards the Haqqani network since the Zadran tribe, which is affiliated with the global terrorist group, has control over the city of Kabul with the perpetrators of the attack this morning based in Pakistan. Sirajjudin Haqqani, head of the Haqqani network, is a deputy leader and swordsman of the Taliban.
While the US decision to withdraw after almost two decades of active participation in Afghanistan is highly respected by all, its decision to impose the Taliban on the political and constitutional system through unilateral movements that must be honored and accommodated by Kabul it is causing a lot of concern throughout the region.
Incidents like these once again reveal that contrary to their public outcry, neither the team nor their uniformed sponsors in Pakistan are in the mood for any adaptation.
The Taliban have not sent their delegation to Qatar for talks, they are seeking the release of Haji Bashir Noorzai, an Afghan drug trafficker who was arrested in 2005. Eager to make the Taliban sit down with the Afghan government, the United States is seeking entertain this. Request for the release of Noorzai and other Taliban detained in Guantánamo Bay.
“I believe that TBN will not start talks in Doha until the release of Haji B Noorzai. According to the attached article, Dr. Khalilzad guaranteed his release. Considering the timing, maybe Haji Bashar can be released this week. Now the TBN has no incentive to reduce violence, ”Afghan politician Rahmatullah Nabil said on Twitter.
I believe that TBN will not start talks in Doha until the release of Haji B. Noorzai. According to the attached article, Dr. Khalilzad guaranteed his release. Considering the timing, maybe Haji Bashar can be released this week. Now the TBN has no incentive to reduce violence. 1/2 https://t.co/s4bW1M0F5C
– Rahmatullah Nabil (@RahmatullahN) September 7, 2020
He added that Zal has given away all the key negotiation pieces to promote himself.
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