Afghan Spy Chief critically injured by underpants bomber

Minister of Border and Tribal Affairs, Asadullah Khalid, attends the inauguration of the Access English program at Rahman Baba High School in Kabul, Afghanistan on Saturday, June 4, 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Afghan Intelligence – National Directorate of Security (NDS) officials on Friday announced that assailant suicide bomber had planted explosives under his underwear to target Afghan intelligence chief Asadullah Khalid.
According to a statement released by Afghan NDS department the explosives were planted near the genitals and under the underwear of the suicide bomber.

The suicide bomber detonated his explosives after shaking hands with the Afghan intelligence chief in one of his guest house on Thursday afternoon.

Asadullah Khalid was critically injured from his wrist and legs following the blast.

Afghan NDS spokesman Shafiqullah Tahiri said the suspected suicide bomber had introduced himself as the peace messenger of the Taliban group.

NDS Chief Asadullah Khalid was taken to the hospital for treatment purposes following the blast where Afghan president Hamid Karzai said that Mr. Khalid will be taken outside of the country if needed.

However NDS department following the statement on Friday said that the health condition of Asadullah Khalid was satisfactory and is improving.

Taliban militants group claimed responsibility behind the attack which is similar to the incident where former Afghan high peace council chief Burhanuddin Rabbani was assassinated.

Afghan Intelligence Department condemned the attack and said the action was against the principles and ethics of Islam.

The statement released by Afghan NDS department said that enemies of peace and Afghan people are committed to their enmity with Afghanistan by committing such an attack.

According to reports Afghan intelligence chief Asadullah Khalid was taken to US-run Bagram airbase for treatment purposes after receiving immediate operation in Afghan NDS hospital.

Reports also suggest that Asadullah Khalid was taken out of the country for further treatment however NDS department has not commented in this regard in its statement.

Asadullah Khalid has previously worked as provincial governor for Kandahar and Ghazni proivnces of Afghanistan and was also elected as tribal and ethnic affairs minister.

He was elected as Afghan intelligence chief by president Hamid Karzai and was one of the main supporters of public upraising against the Taliban militants in Ghazni province.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Fri Dec 07, 8:12 pm

Read More

Bomber kills provincial peace council head in Afghan east

(Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed the head of a regional peace council on Friday in Afghanistan's east, police said, dealing a fresh blow to the country's attempts to negotiate a peace deal with Taliban insurgents.

Hashim Monib and his son were killed as they left their mosque in Asadabad, the capital of the Kunar province, provincial police chief Ewaz Mohd told Reuters.

"They were on their way home after prayers when the bomber attacked them," he said.

Provincial peace councils, along with the separate 70-member High Peace Council which President Hamid Karzai established two years ago, appear to have made little progress in negotiating with the Taliban to end the war now in its eleventh year.

The council came under attack last year when its chief Burhanuddin Rabbani was assassinated by a suicide bomber.

U.S. diplomats have separately engaged the Taliban in secret discussions abroad leading to an agreement on the establishment of a Taliban office in the Gulf state of Qatar, though the Taliban later suspended the talks, blaming Washington for ignoring its demands.

Fear is mounting amongst Afghans and foreign governments alike that the planned pullout of NATO combat troops by the end of 2014 and Afghan national elections in the same year could see the country engulfed in more conflict and bloodshed.

(Reporting by Hamid Shalizi, writing by Amie Ferris-Rotman; Editing by Ed Lane)

Related articles

• Suicide bomber kills Afghan peace envoy: officials (dawn.com)

Read More