Iran Denies Involvement In Nimrooz Bombings
Iran has rejected allegations by the Afghan government that Iran was involved in the explosions that killed 28 people in Nimrooz Province last week.
The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) issued a statement last week announcing the arrest of three Iranians who are allegedly members of a terrorist group involved in the deadly attacks in Nimrooz.
The Mehr News Agency reports that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast denied the Iranian government had any involvement in the attacks, emphasizing Iran’s friendly relations with its eastern neighbour.
Mehmanparast added that the long border between Iran and Afghanistan has been “a source of concern to both countries.” He said the Islamic Republic embassy is fully prepared to assist in identifying the arrested Iranians and assessing their “motives for illegal entry into Afghanistan.”
On August 14, the explosions took place in Zaranj, the capital of Nimrooz on the border between Sistan-Baluchistan Province and Afghanistan. They killed more than 30 people and wounded 130, many of whom were civilians shopping in the marketplace in preparation for the end of Ramadan.
The NDS announced that the detainees have confessed that in the past six months they were recruited by an Iranian terrorist cell and, after military training, were sent to Pakistan to receive further training in terrorist operations.
