Pakistani Militants Suspected in Kabul Bombing

Details have emerged about Monday’s deadly blast at the Indian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, raising suspicions that the bombing was done by Pakistani militants associated with the Taliban. The fact that the Indian Embassy was targeted is one substantial indication, considering the long-standing conflict between India and Pakistan. However, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahed denied that his organization was responsible for the attack. The blast killed 41 and injured over 130.

The New York Times:

India said it would send a delegation to Pakistan to investigate what the Indian Foreign Ministry called “this cowardly terrorist attack.”

Afghan and Western officials have said a recent spate of sophisticated, deadly attacks show the growing influence of Al Qaeda and other foreign terrorists over Pakistani militants in the tribal areas, and possibly alliances between them. Part of the insurgent strategy has been to carry out suicide bomb attacks in the cities.

Suicide bombers attacked the five-star Serena Hotel in Kabul in January and mounted a sophisticated assassination attempt on President Karzai during a military parade in April, an attack that Afghan intelligence linked directly to Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence.

Pakistani intelligence has long supported militant groups fighting in Kashmir and Afghanistan as a means to influence regions on its borders and, according to some Western diplomats and military officials, they maintain those links today, including with some elements of the Taliban. The choice of an Indian target raised further suspicions among officials here about the possible influence of Pakistani intelligence, since Pakistan has had fraught relations with India for decades.

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