Ahead of Imran-Trump meet, Afghanistan says Kandahar attack plotted in Pakistan
New Delhi: The Afghan intelligence agency– National Directorate of Security or NDS has said that the Kandahar terror attack was organised and directed from Chaman from Pakistan. Chaman is the 2nd largest city of Pakistan’s northwest Balochistan province and borders Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. NDS will be releasing all the details of how the attack was planned from Pakistan tomorrow.
The attack on the police headquarter happened on Thursday and killed 12 people and the responsibility was taken by the Taliban.
This is not 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 Pakistani 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 which US President said happened due to “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 Afghan accusations. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dr Md Faisal said, “Pakistan rejects baseless accusations concerning recent terrorist incidents in Afghanistan”
He added,” 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.”
