Syeda Mazhar
A suicide bomber targeted a gathering of hundreds of Islamic scholars in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, killing at least 50 people as Muslims marked the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. Another 83 people were wounded in the attack, with 20 of them in critical condition and the toll likely to rise.
The suicide bomber was able to sneak into a wedding hall in Kabul where hundreds of Muslim religious scholars and clerics had gathered to mark the holiday. No one immediately claimed the attack, but both the Taliban and a local Islamic State affiliate have targeted religious scholars aligned with the government in the past.
“The victims of the attack, unfortunately, are all religious scholars who gathered to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad,” said Basir Mujahid, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, according to the Associated Press.
Police security had not been requested for the event, and the bomber entered the hall easily. Mohammad Muzamil, a waiter at the wedding hall, said he had gone into the back to fetch water for the guests when he heard the explosion.
“Everything was covered with smoke and dust,” he said. “There were dead bodies all around on the chairs, in large numbers.”
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack. The Taliban denied involvement.
Police sealed off roads leading to the scene. Hundreds of family members and relatives gathered at hospitals, looking at lists of those killed and wounded that were posted outside.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the bombing, calling it “an attack on Islamic values and followers of the Prophet Muhammad,” and declaring Wednesday a day of mourning.
“It is an attack on humanity,” Ghani said.
The U.N. Security Council also condemned the attack and expressed sympathy to the families of the victims.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan also condemned the bombing and expressed condolences to the victims. Afghanistan and the United States have long accused Pakistan of harboring the Taliban, whose leadership is based there. Pakistan denies the allegations, and says it uses its limited influence over the group to encourage peace efforts.
Hundreds of family members and relatives gathered outside local hospitals, looking at lists of those killed and wounded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, one of the deadliest attacks to strike the Afghan capital in months.
The U.S. ambassador to Kabul, John Bass, tweeted that he was “sickened and saddened by tonight’s terror attack.”
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said it was “outraged by Kabul bombing when communities across Afghanistan are marking day of special religious significance.”
Zalmay Khalilzad, the American government’s peace envoy, told a group of Afghan journalists recently that he was hopeful of a peace deal by April, but he did not cite any concrete steps, and the insurgents responded by denying any progress had occurred or that the timing of presidential elections had been discussed.
Zalmay Khalilzad, in Kabul to lead talks between the United States, the Taliban and the Afghan government, told reporters he hopes “a peace deal is reached before April 20 next year.” Afghanistan is planning to hold a presidential election on April 20, 2019. The Afghan-born U.S. diplomat said he remained “cautiously optimistic” about the peace talks.
The former US ambassador to Kabul has been spearheading American efforts to convince the Taliban to negotiate with the Afghan government. His appointment as US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation in September was soon followed by a meeting with the group’s representatives in Qatar.
But there are growing fears that any progress towards peace could be derailed by the April 20 presidential election, which is expected to be fiercely contested and marred by violence.
“The Taliban are saying that they don’t believe that they can succeed militarily… I think there’s an opportunity for reconciliation and peace,” he said.
“I am talking to all interested parties, all Afghan groups… The Afghan government wants peace,” the US envoy said. The US embassy in Kabul sent a recording of Khalilzad’s remarks to foreign journalists based in Kabul, who had not been invited to attend the briefing.
But even as the sense of urgency for peace grows, the parties involved are still far apart in their objectives. Taliban statements a little more than two weeks ago at a peace conference in Moscow sounded unchanged from statements they made years ago. The Taliban don’t seem ready to acknowledge how fundamentally Afghan society has been transformed since their rule ended, particularly regarding democratic practices and the rights of women. As for the Russians, there is much speculation about the reasons for their involvement in the negotiations, but the platform they provided for the Taliban seemed intended to strengthen the group’s position in future talks.
The goal for Afghans, and for Washington, should be a process that will protect the transformed Afghanistan, not one that will drive them back into the darkness they were in 18 years ago. This includes holding presidential elections on time in the spring and giving the government in Kabul a fresh mandate and greater authority to negotiate.
