KABUL (SW) – The Daesh-claimed suicide attack killing 63 people in a wedding hall in Kabul has been vehemently condemned by the Afghan government and its international partners.
According to the SITE – Intelligence Group, the Daesh’s Afghanistan chapter Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) has taken responsibility for the attack.
Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has said the Taliban cannot escape responsibility for this ‘barbaric attack’ since they provided platform to the terrorists in the country. “Taliban cannot absolve themselves of blame, for they provide platform for terrorists. Today is the day of mourning, hence #StateBuilder have cancelled today's gathering at the Loya Jirga tent”, he said.
Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah also condemned the attack. “I strongly condemn the terrorist attack on a wedding party last night. This heinous and inhumane attack is indeed a crime against humanity. My heartfelt condolences and prayers to families of the victims. May the victims rest in peace”, he tweeted.
A number of presidential candidates including Ahmad Wali Massoud and Shahab Hakimi also condemned the attack.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has described this attack as a ‘cowardly act of terror’. Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan has said this is a deliberate intent to spread fear among the population.
The wedding hall where the attack took place is situated in an area of the city heavily populated by Afghanistan’s Shia Muslim minority. UNAMA has documented several previous attacks deliberately carried out against this community.
“The pace of such atrocious attacks indicates that current measures in place to protect must be strengthened, and that those who have organized and enabled such attacks must be brought to justice and held to account,” said Yamamoto, who is also head of UNAMA. “The United Nations stands with all Afghans in solidarity and remains committed to an Afghan-led peace process that will end the war and bring about a lasting peace.”
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