ugc_banner

Afghanistan blames Pakistan for Kandahar attack ahead of Imran-Trump meet

WION
New DelhiWritten By: Sidhant SibalUpdated: Jul 19, 2019, 09:05 PM IST
main img
Afghan policemen arrive near a site of car bomb attack as smoke rises from the Police headquarters in Kandahar province. Photograph:(AFP)

Story highlights

Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack on the police headquarters on Thursday that killed 12.

The Afghan intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) said that the Kandahar terror attack was plotted from Chaman in Pakistan. Chaman is the second-largest city of Pakistan's northwest Balochistan province and borders Afghanistan's Kandahar province.

NDS said it will be releasing entire gamut of details regarding the attack tomorrow.

Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack on the police headquarters on Thursday that killed 12.

This is not for the first time Afghanistan has said that an attack in the south Asian country had links across the border in Pakistan. According to NDS, The 2017 Kabul terror attack near the German embassy that killed 150 people, the worst in Afghanistan, was planned in Pakistan.

The development comes ahead of the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's Washington visit to meet US President Donald Trump.

Ahead of the visit, 26/11 mastermind, Hafiz Saeed was arrested on terror financing charges after "pressure" from Washington.

The increased terror attacks come even has the Afghan peace process gathers pace. India on Thursday said, "any process should respect the constitutional legacy and political mandate" and "should not lead to any ungoverned spaces where terrorist and their proxies can relocate."

Both New Delhi and Kabul have blamed Islamabad for destabilizing the region and providing sanctuaries to a terrorist on its territory, something which Pakistan has denied despite being provided evidence. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan has rejected Afghanistan accusations. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dr Md Faisal said, "Pakistan rejects baseless accusations concerning recent terrorist incidents in Afghanistan."

Adding further Dr FAisal said," The public blame-game is contrary to the spirit of the understanding between the leadership of the two countries to address issues through close coordination amongst relevant agencies."

"Condemning all acts of terrorism in Afghanistan" Faisal hoped that "both sides would continue working constructively for durable peace in Afghanistan and the region."