Haqqani Denies Role in Bloody Kabul, Herat Attacks

Haqqani network denied insurgents’ involvement in the recent bloody attacks in Kabul. Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of Haqqani network, made the remarks in a rare Pashto language audio message released late Sunday by the Taleban to Voice of America (VOA). Haqqani specifically referred to the May 31 tanker truck bombing of the Afghan capital’s heavily guarded Wazir Akbar Khan diplomatic sector followed by a triple suicide attack on a funeral in Kabul and last week’s bombing of a mosque in the western city of Herat. The three strikes killed at least 180 people and wounded hundreds of others, all of whom were civilians. “Whoever planned and organised them, this was certainly not the work of the Islamic Emirate [the Taleban], nor will it conduct such activities anywhere [in the country] that are harmful to innocent [Afghan] civilians,” Haqqani asserted. Haqqani in his audio message reiterated that the Taleban will not end its insurgency until all the US-led “foreign invaders” are expelled from Afghanistan. The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) blamed the Haqqani network of plotting the massive blast, allegedly with direct assistance from neighbouring Pakistan’s spy agency.