Taliban defends Afghanistan suicide bombing

THE Taliban yesterday defended its suicide bombing against an international compound in the Afghan capital that killed at least 16 civilians and wounded 119 people, just hours after a US 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 target of the militants, 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. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said:“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.”

Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said some 400 foreigners had been rescued after the suicide bomber targeted the compound late on Monday. Five other attackers were shot and killed by security forces after the suicide bomber detonated a tractor packed with explosives, he said.

Hours before Monday’s attack, Khalilzad showed a draft deal to the Afghan president after declaring that they are “at the threshold of an agreement” following the end of the ninth round of US-Taliban talks in Qatar. The agreement still needs President Donald Trump’s approval.

There was no immediate comment from Khalilzad after the blast that was strongly condemned by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

Shaken Kabul residents question whether any agreement with the Taliban can be trusted, especially as foreign troops withdraw.

The Taliban carry out such attacks even as the militant group appears to be getting what it wants in a deal with the US – a troop withdrawal. The group wants all of the some 20 000 US and Nato troops out of Afghanistan immediately, while the US seeks a withdrawal in phases that would depend on the Taliban meeting certain conditions such as a reduction in violence.

Attacks have surged in recent months, including Taliban assaults on two provincial capitals over the weekend, as the group seeks to strengthen its negotiating position not only with the US but with the Afghan government in the even more challenging intra-Afghan talks that are meant to follow a US-Taliban deal on Afghanistan’s future. The Taliban have rejected talking with the government so far, dismissing it as a US puppet.

Some analysts also have warned that some factions of the Taliban might be expressing displeasure with the US deal, though Taliban political leaders at the talks in Qatar have insisted that their tens of thousands of fighters would respect whatever agreement is reached.

The militant group is at its strongest since the US-led invasion to topple its government after the September 11 2001 attacks on the US. The UN and others say civilians are suffering, often caught in the cross-fire as government forces, backed by the US, pursue the militants with airstrikes and raids. |