Suicide attacker was Logar ALP chief’s nephew

PUL-I-ALAM (Pajhwok): Monday’s suicide attack that killed the Afghan Local Police (ALP) chief for central Logar province, Sabz Ali, was carried out by his nephew, also a member of the force, officials said on Wednesday.

The attack inside the provincial police headquarters in Pul-i-Alam also left six policemen and three civilians dead and five ALP personnel injured.

Din Mohammad Darwish, the governor’s spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the suicide attack had been carried out by Usman, the son of Sabz Ali’s sister. Usman was a member of the ALP and had been serving in the force for six months.

Logar police chief Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai told Pajhwok Afghan News investigation showed the suicide attack had been carried out by one of Sabz Ali’s relatives, but the investigation was still underway.

Ishaqzai called Sabz Ali an experienced commander, saying the Taliban were involved in his assassination plot.

He said Sabz Ali had previously survived various Taliban attacks on his life, but finally they succeeded in killing him.

A resident of the Kamalkhel area of Pul-i-Alam, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the attacker who killed Sabz Ali was his nephew, who was very close to the commander.

Commander Sabz Ali Stanikzai was a resident of the Kamalkhel area and he had been general commander of the ALP force in Logar for the last seven years.

The Taliban have so far not confirmed if the attacker was Sabz Ali’s nephew, but the group’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, had said the attack was part of their Operation Khyber.

He had claimed the attack left a dozen policemen, including Sabz Ali, dead and scores of others wounded.

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