Emergency response staff load an injured man into an ambulance after an assault Friday within the Afghan capital, Kabul, left greater than two dozen individuals lifeless.
Rahmat Gul/AP
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Rahmat Gul/AP
Emergency response staff load an injured man into an ambulance after an assault Friday within the Afghan capital, Kabul, left greater than two dozen individuals lifeless.
Rahmat Gul/AP
Gunmen opened fireplace on a memorial ceremony Friday in Kabul, killing a minimum of 32 individuals and wounding dozens extra within the first main assault within the Afghan capital for the reason that U.S. signed a peace framework with the Taliban late final week. A number of distinguished politicians, together with the nation’s chief govt and up to date presidential candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, have been within the viewers however escaped unhurt.
A spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of the Inside mentioned the gunmen retreated to a close-by constructing, the place they were killed throughout an hours-long standoff with safety forces.
It’s unclear whether or not a bigger group is liable for the violence.
The Taliban, which have launched a wave of assaults in opposition to Afghan forces throughout the nation in current days, denied any connection with the assault Friday. Given the main focus of the focused ceremony — which marked 25 years for the reason that dying of Abdul Ali Mazari, a pacesetter of the nation’s Shiite minority — suspicion has fallen on the Islamic State, the Sunni militant group that focused the same occasion final yr.
“This case seems infinite in our nation,” one of many individuals injured within the assault advised native media. “There are political video games, however solely the poor individuals pay the worth — how lengthy will this proceed?”
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani mentioned he called Abdullah, his erstwhile rival for the presidency, and Karim Khalili, the chief of Afghanistan’s excessive peace council. Khalili had been delivering an tackle on the ceremony when loud gunfire erupted, adopted by screams. He emerged from the assault unscathed.
“The assault is against the law in opposition to humanity and in opposition to the nationwide unity of Afghanistan,” Ghani mentioned in a press release posted to Twitter.
For Afghans, the assault caps a bloody week throughout the nation.
Simply six days in the past, the U.S. and Taliban introduced that that they had signed an settlement, providing hope for peace between the 2 longtime adversaries. The deal outlined a 14-month timeline for the withdrawal of the 1000’s of People nonetheless stationed in Afghanistan, which might carry an finish to the longest battle in U.S. historical past.
The U.S. troop drawdown is partly conditioned on the Taliban fulfilling their guarantees to fight and forestall the unfold of terrorist teams corresponding to ISIS and al-Qaida.
However bother rapidly adopted, as Ghani pushed again in opposition to the deal’s proposal for a prisoner alternate, and the Taliban — after a seven-day reprieve — redoubled their lethal assaults on Afghan troops all through the nation. The violence escalated to the purpose that the U.S. mentioned it carried out a “defensive strike” on the Taliban, looking for to assist its Afghan allies at a navy checkpoint earlier this week.
Now Afghanistan should deal with yet one more spasm of violence — this time in its capital, and thus far with the assailants unknown.
“We prolong our condolences to the households of the victims & thank the Afghan safety forces for swift response,” Ross Wilson, the U.S. cost d’affaires in Kabul, tweeted. “We stand with Afghanistan for peace.”
The post Kabul Shooting Kills Dozens At Shiite Memorial; Taliban Deny Responsibility : NPR appeared first on Down The Middle News.
source https://downthemiddlenews.com/kabul-shooting-kills-dozens-at-shiite-memorial-taliban-deny-responsibility-npr/
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