Taliban revenge: Hardliner splinter group claims responsibility for Afghan Intel chief attack

A splinter hardliner Taliban group Friday claimed responsibility for the assassination  attempt on Afghan intelligence chief, Assadullah Khalid.

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief, a close confidant of President Hamid Karzai, was injured in the attack in a Kabul guest house.

Taliban had also claimed responsibility for the attack, which they said was a revenge to the recent execution of several Taliban prisoners. The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the attacker had posed as a peace messenger.

President Hamid Karzai visited the injured intelligence chief at a Kabul hospital and later said that he is out of danger, the Afghan media reported.

A day after Taliban said they had targetted Kahlid, a hardliner and splinter group of Taliban also came up with their own claim. The Dadullah Mahaz or front said one of its members carried out the attack.

“The Afghan intelligence Chief had been our target for four year,” Rehbar Mal, purported spokesman for the front said in a statement. He said the attack was a revenge for the killing of senior Taliban military commander Mulla Dadullah Akhund, who was killed by the Afghan and western forces in May 2007 in southern Afghanistan.

“He had been involved in the martyrdom of Shaheed Mulla Dadullah,” he said.  He said that the militants had been trying to attack Asadullah Khalid for four years.

“A brave Mujahid, Hafiz Muhammad, carried out the attack at 3 p.m., on Thursday,” the statement said.

Afghan media quoted a family member of Khalid as saying that he sustained “superficial injuries” in the attack and was taken to the NDS hospital in Kabul, where doctor’s notified that he sustained injures below his waist.

Dadullah Front was launched last year after differences within the Taliban surfaced over their talks with the United States in Qatar. The group was named after the slain commander.

Dadullah Mahaz is strongly opposing Taliban talks with the U.S. and says it will continue fight against the foreign forces unless they are in Afghanistan. The group had also claimed killing of the senior member of the Afghan High Peace Council, Mulla Arsala Rehmani, in Kabul earlier this year. Rehmani was the deputy minister for higher education in the Taliban regime but did not leave Kabul when taliban government was dislodged in late 2001.

One of the brothers of Dadullah is leading the Front, according to Rehbar Mal, who reluctant to identify him. Mansur Dadullah, who was appointed commander of the group, was arrested in Pakistan few years ago.

Pakistan condemns attack: Pakistan Friday strongly condemned the attack on Afghan intelligence chief, Assadullah Khalid, and reiterated to continue work with Afghanistan to fight terrorism.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the attack in Kabul yesterday that wounded Mr. Assadullah Khalid, Head of the Afghan National Directorate of Security. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. We hope for his early recovery,” the Foreign Ministry said.

A Foreign Ministry statement said Pakistan remains committed to peace and stability in Afghanistan.

“The two countries face the common threat of terrorism. We will continue to work closely with Afghanistan to eliminate this scourge,” it said.

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Posted by Tahir Khan on Dec 7 2012. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan, Politics, South Asia, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.