Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Taliban defend suicide bombing
The deadly attack at an international compound in Kabul comes on the cusp of deal to end U.S. war.
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban on Tuesday defended their suicide bombing against an international compound in the Afghan capital that killed at least 16 people and wounded 119, almost all local civilians, just hours after a U.S. envoy said he and the militant group had reached a deal “in principle” to end America's longest war.
Angry Kabul residents whose homes were shredded in the explosion climbed over the buckled blast wall and set part of the compound, a frequent Taliban target, on fire. Thick smoke rose from the Green Village, home to several foreign organizations and guesthouses, whose location has become a peril to nearby local residents as well.
“People were screaming and saying, ‘My children are trapped in the rubble,’ ” one witness, Faiz Ahmad, said. A large crater was left in the street from a tractor packed with explosives. Five militants were killed in the Monday night attack and some 400 foreigners rescued, Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.
The Taliban continue to kill Afghan civilians in attacks they say are meant for foreign “invaders” or the Afghan government, apparently sacrificing the support of the people they might wish to rule, even as the U.S. envoy says the deal with the insurgents only needs the approval of President Donald Trump to become a reality. The accord would include a troop withdrawal that the Taliban already portray as their victory.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that “we understand that peace talks are going on, but they must also understand that we are not weak and if we enter into talks we enter from a strong position.”
He said the attack was a response to raids by U.S. and Afghan forces on civilians across the country.
Questions are growing among some in Washington about the dangers of trusting the Taliban to make peace.
On Tuesday, several former U.S. ambassadors to Afghanistan warned in a joint statement published by the Atlantic Council that “it is not clear whether peace is possible,” saying the Taliban have “made it clear that the war will go on against the Afghan government.”
A full U.S. troop withdrawal that moves too quickly and without requiring the Taliban to meet conditions such as reducing violence could lead the militant group to avoid making compromises with other Afghans, the former envoys warned. Civil war could follow and give alQaida and the local Islamic State affiliate space to grow, they said: “All of this could prove catastrophic for U.S. national security.”
The attack occurred hours after U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad briefed the Afghan government on an agreement “in principle” with the Taliban that would see 5,000 U.S. troops withdraw from five bases in the country within 135 days of a final deal. About 13,000 to 14,000 U.S. troops are in the country.
The Taliban are at its strongest point since the U.S.-led invasion after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The Taliban control or hold sway over roughly half of Afghanistan.