KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Investigations into a deadly suicide attack on the governor’s guesthouse in southern Kandahar province are almost complete, but the outcome is still shrouded in mystery.
Officials said the probe into the brazen assault that took place about a month and a half ago was nearly over. The Dec 31 attack killed several people, including five UAE aid workers, the deputy governor and two Afghan lawmakers.
Eighteen other people, including Governor Hamayoon Azizi, UAE Ambassador Juma Mohammad Abdullah Al-Kaabi, the head of AFCO Construction Company and a brother of former president Hamid Karzai, were wounded.
Hashim Karzai, however, succumbed to injuries at a hospital in India six days after the incident. The UAE ambassador also died of wounds on February 15. Azizi, who was flown to India and then France for treatment, is said to be in stable health condition.
A delegation including Afghan government officials, UAE authorities, foreign forces and Scotland Yard, an investigative international organisation, wrapped up their inquiry into the attack. Investigations show the Taliban were involved in the attack. However, the insurgents deny any involvement.
Mohammad Daud Gulzar, head of the delegation and advisor to the president, told Pajhwok Afghan News he had shared the results of their investigation with the president.
The presidential spokesmen should provide information about the investigation, he said. But the deputy spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, Dawa Khan Minapal, said investigation was not yet complete.
He said the investigation showed Taliban’s hand in the incident, but investigations were still underway. Who had placed the explosives in such a secure place was not known so far, he explained.
The UAE authorities also understood which sides had plotted the attack, he said, adding “We have repeatedly said that terrorism is a major threat to the entire region including Afghanistan, we all together should join hands and fight the terrorism,”
Kandahar was also witness of many security incidents, but the latest one was totally different in nature. The victims of the incident were seriously burnt and their identities were cleared after their DNA tests.
A doctor who helped in the treatment of the injured said that their experiences showed the explosives used in the attack were chemicals which destroying human cells.
The doctor who wished to go unnamed, said the injured people who were in better health in the beginning but succumbed later was also a sign of chemical materials usage in the attack.
However, Dawa Khan Minapal said it was a technical issue that needed more time to be addressed satisfactorily. The incident was complicated and sensitive and needed an in-depth investigation, he observed.
The Kandahar governor’s spokesman, Samim Khpalwak, said around 20 workers and security personnel detained in connection to the incident were still under investigation.
He assured Governor Azizi was in stable condition, getting healthier with each passing day.
Provincial police chief, Gen. Abdur Raziq, had previously claimed having complete clarity on who had placed the explosives in the guesthouse. But he did not provide details and said more information would be shared after the investigation was completed.
Raziq accused Pakistan) of involvement in the terrorist act, saying the spy network worked several months plotting the attack and eliminating the whole leadership of Kandahar.
Some sources claim the investigation has been completed and the government has shared its findings with the UAE. President Ashraf Ghani recently travelled to the UAE and met senior officials on issues including the investigations.
mds
