Qatar condemns Kabul terrorist attack in strong terms

Qatar has expressed its “strong condemnation and denunciation” of the bombing which occurred in  Kabul, killing and injuring dozens of people.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in Doha that “such criminal acts which target innocent civilians contravene all human values, ethical principles and heavenly religions”.

It reiterated Qatar’s “firm stance rejecting violence and extremism, whatever the motives and causes”.

The statement expressed sincere condolences to the families of the victims, the Afghan government and people, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

The White House also condemned the Kabul attack.

“This heinous attack was made all the more despicable by the fact that it targeted a peaceful demonstration,” the White House said in a statement.

“We remain committed to work jointly with the Afghan security forces and countries in the region to confront the forces that threaten Afghanistan’s security, stability, and prosperity,” the White House said.

Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the twin explosions that ripped through crowds of Shia Hazaras in Kabul yesterday, killing more than 80 people and wounding 231 others in the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since 2001.

The bombings during a huge protest over a power line mark the first major IS assault on Kabul, apparently aimed at sowing sectarian discord in a country well known for sectarian harmony.

Charred bodies and dismembered limbs littered the scene of the attack, with ambulances struggling to reach the site as authorities had overnight blocked key intersections with stacked shipping containers to control movement of the protesters.

“As a result of the attack 80 people were martyred and 231 others were wounded,” the interior ministry said.

“The attack was carried out by three suicide bombers... The third attacker was gunned down by security forces.”

The wounded overwhelmed city hospitals, officials said, with reports emerging of blood shortages and urgent appeals for donors circulating on social media.

The Taliban, who are in the middle of their annual summer offensive and are more powerful than IS, strongly denied any involvement in the attack.

The Islamic State group claimed the bombings in a statement carried by its affiliated Amaq news agency, calling it an attack on Shias.

“Two fighters of the Islamic State detonated their explosive belts in a gathering of Shias in... Kabul,” Amaq said.

The attack represents a major escalation for IS, which so far has largely been confined to the eastern province of Nangarhar.

The National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan’s main intelligence agency, said the attack was masterminded by Abu Ali, an IS commander in Nangarhar’s volatile Achin district.

“It’s long been a fear about Afghanistan that IS-aligned forces will try to inject a sectarian dimension into a largely non-sectarian conflict,” Michael Kugelman, an analyst at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, told AFP.

The bombings, which the UN denounced as a “war crime”, mark the deadliest single attack in Kabul since the Taliban were toppled from power in a 2001 US-led invasion, the interior ministry said.

Courtesy: gulf-times.com