Afghanistan: Bomber Kills Former President And Peace Council Chief
By VOA
A suicide bomber has killed former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was leading peace negotiations with the Taliban. The blast occurred late Tuesday at Mr. Rabbani’s home in Kabul.
Police say the bomber arrived at the former president’s house with a senior member of the council, Masoom Stanekzai, to talk about the peace process. The attacker then detonated explosives hidden in his turban.
In a statement, NATO officials blamed two suicide bombers for the attack, saying they were feigning a desire to conduct reconciliation talks.
At least five people, including Mr. Rabbani, were killed. Stanekzai, who is also one of President Hamid Karzai’s advisors, was wounded.
Mr. Rabbani led Afghanistan’s High Peace Council, which was set up by President Karzai to find a political end to the war.
Mr. Karzai met with U.S. President Barack Obama in New York on Tuesday.
Alongside President Obama, Mr. Karzai condemned Tuesday’s attack, saying Mr. Rabbani had sacrificed his life for the sake of Afghanistan and peace. Mr. Obama said the former president’s death would strengthen U.S. resolve to work with the Afghans for peace.
Mr. Karzai’s spokesman says the president will cut his U.S. trip short because of Mr. Rabbani’s death. President Karzai was set to address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.
Pakistani leaders also strongly condemned Mr. Rabbani’s killing on Tuesday.
Former President Rabbani lived in the capital’s heavily fortified diplomatic zone, near government buildings and the U.S. Embassy.
A statement from the embassy said all personnel had received instruction to take cover. Reports of the embassy’s orders surfaced around the same time as the attack.
Last week, Taliban insurgents launched a nearly 20-hour raid in the area with rocket-propelled grenades, gunfire and explosions. It is said to be the longest sustained attack in the capital since the start of the war in 2001.
The militants targeted the U.S. Embassy, NATO headquarters and police elsewhere in the city. Their coordinated assault killed 14 people and wounded more than two dozen others. Afghan security forces, back by NATO helicopters, were able to put an end to the violence, killing all nine attackers.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday that these types of attacks and assassinations are a concern, but that overall, he believes NATO and the Afghan government are moving in the right direction against the insurgency.
