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Karzai vows to confront Pakistan over Kabul attack

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Karzai vows to confront Pakistan over Kabul attack | World | DAWN.COM

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai blamed Pakistani extremists on Wednesday for an unprecedented attack on Shia Muslims in Kabul that killed 55 people, demanding justice from the government in Islamabad.

By pointing the finger at the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi militant group, Karzai threatens to ratchet up tensions with neighbouring Pakistan just days after Islamabad boycotted the Bonn conference on the future of Afghanistan.

Afghan officials fear that Tuesday’s killings in Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif could unleash Iraq and Pakistan-style sectarian violence ahead of the scheduled departure of Nato combat troops in 2014.

On Wednesday, another 19 people died in a roadside bombing in the southern province of Helmand, bringing to 78 the number of people killed in just over 24 hours. Four people were killed near a mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif.


“We will pursue this issue with Pakistan and its government very seriously,” said Karzai as he visited wounded survivors of the attack after cancelling a planned trip to Britain and rushing home from Germany.

There have been media reports of a purported claim from Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, which is linked to Al-Qaeda and blamed for killing thousands of Shias in Pakistan but not thought previously to have attacked within Afghanistan.


“Lashkar-i-Jhangvi is based in Pakistan, therefore the government of Afghanistan with all its strength and international support will pursue this issue, Afghanistan cannot ignore the blood of its children,” Karzai said.

Afghans traditionally blame Pakistanis for fuelling much of the violence in their country, where the Taliban are leading a 10-year insurgency against Karzai’s government and 140,000 Western troops.

His spokesman Aimal Faizi told AFP that Karzai will “demand Pakistan take executive measures… so that justice can be done”.

There are reported links between Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, which was one of the groups involved in the kidnap and beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi in 2002, and Pakistani intelligence.

The US embassy in Kabul confirmed that an American was among those killed on Tuesday, in the Afghan capital where the victims were buried at peaceful mass gatherings with police on standby for violence which failed to materialise.

The 19 civilians killed in Wednesday’s roadside bombing in Helmand included seven women from one family and five children, local officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts, which came as the civilians travelled from provincial capital Lashkar Gah to Sangin district, historically one of the most troubled in Afghanistan.

Lashkar Gah was brought under Afghan control in July and three other districts of Helmand are due to shift from Nato to Afghan hands within weeks as part of the phased withdrawal of most Western combat troops.

Tuesday’s bombings were unprecedented in targeting a key religious holiday, Ashura, which is the holiest day in the calendar for Shias.

An Afghan official said the bomber who attacked the Kabul shrine was a Pakistani affiliated to Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, which is not previously known to have carried out any attacks in Afghanistan.

Officials and experts suggested that if Pakistanis did orchestrate the attacks, then elements in the Afghan Taliban may have helped facilitate them.

Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry, said the strikes were the work of “the Taliban and their associates”, adding that no-one else carried out such suicide attacks in Afghanistan.

An Afghan security official speaking on condition of anonymity said the bomber was a Pakistani connected to Sepah-i-Sahaba, a Lashkar-i-Jhangvi offshoot, who wanted to “inflame sectarian violence in Afghanistan”.

A Western security official also suggested Pakistani involvement but stressed it was not clear whether this was “institutional”, referring to reported links between militants and Pakistani intelligence.

“We’re particularly looking at TTP (Tehreek-i-Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban) although at the moment we don’t have any proof,” he said.

A Pakistani official speaking anonymously said Lashkar-i-Jhangvi was closely associated with the Pakistani Taliban.
 
Well if he has evidence pointing to Pakistan's passive / active complicity, he very well should confront the Pakistanis. Beyond the ghastly killing of innocent civilians on a day of such solemness, it is also an act of trying to draw a wedge between the different sects in Afghanistan. Even when Pakistani Army will anyway deny it flatly, but LeJ were the good old blue eyed boys when Iran seemingly needed to be "put in its place". Never do a deal with the devil....
 
When Karzai makes statements like this, you know that your FO and Foreign Ministry is not doing it's job.
 
Karzai is worse than our current leaders, got zero influence, credibility, and respect.

He hides in his hut and blames any person that comes to mind. Pakistanis are his fav.
 
I don't trust Karzai : he said Afghanistan will help Pakistan if US will attack it ( to Pakistani media). But his forces are attacking Pakistan with NATO.
 
well i guess indian presence has rubbed off Mr.Karzai , as a good puppet he is following the indians now , Big talks about confronting Pakistan & blaming their own shortcomings on Pakistan , with as always NO PROOF.
 
Dont see who is saying,
See what is he saying,
Laskar Jhangvi has killed thousands of innocent Pakistanis,they are not our friends,We should act against Laskar Jhangvi,

I personally think that Laskar Jhangvi is not involvedin Kabul attacks.If they have the capability then they would have attacked in Pakistan.
 
Just like he said he would confront Pakistan on the Rabbani murder, nothing happened on that front either. Afghanistan has to stop blaming Pakistan for its problems.
 
Post number 3 by Dance says it all.

Although we don't have any proof at the time.
 
Dont see who is saying,
See what is he saying,
Laskar Jhangvi has killed thousands of innocent Pakistanis,they are not our friends,We should act against Laskar Jhangvi,

I personally think that Laskar Jhangvi is not involvedin Kabul attacks.If they have the capability then they would have attacked in Pakistan.

Not just that, they have never even made such coordinated attacks inside Pakistan. The attacks in North Afghanistan, Southern Afghanistan & Eastern Afghanistan yesterday took place at the exact same time, & that requires a lot of coordination.
 
Not just that, they have never even made such coordinated attacks inside Pakistan. The attacks in North Afghanistan, Southern Afghanistan & Eastern Afghanistan yesterday took place at the exact same time, & that requires a lot of coordination.

Yup.. almost looks like a military operation
 
^^^ I guess you're being sarcastic, but the fact of the matter is that the LeJ has never attacked Afghanistan before, its mere presence in Afghanistan is arguable, & it is not possible for them to conduct such audacious attacks inside Afghanistan.
 
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