Kabul: Days after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed to do “everything” to help curb violence in Afghanistan, as many as 23 rockets struck various parts of Kabul on Saturday that killed at least 8 people and injured 31 persons.
Tolo News reported that according to the Interior Affairs Ministry, the rockets landed in Wazir Akbar Khan and Shahr-e-Naw areas in downtown Kabul, Chahar Qala, the Traffic Roundabout, the Gul-e-Surkh Roundabout in PD4, Sedarat Roundabout, the Spinzar Road in the center of the city, near the National Archive road in PD2, and in Lysee Maryam market and Panjsad Family areas in the north of Kabul.
Doctors from Emergency Hospital had earlier stated that one dead and 28 wounded have been taken to the hospital following rocket attacks in the city, Tolo News reported.
Taliban has denied involvement in the attack. In a press conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday, Khan said, as quoted by Al Jazeera, “We notice with concern that the level of violence despite the talks in Qatar, is rising.”
Ghani said the common objective for the two countries was to “overcome the distrust that has haunted our relationship”.
“We have come to an understanding that a shared vision regarding cooperation is not only essential for relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan but a harbinger of regional cooperation, connectivity,” he added.
Khan arrived in Kabul on Thursday on his first official visit to meet with President Ashraf Ghani and other Afghan leaders to discuss the progress of peace process and bilateral ties. His visit comes at a time when the country is witnessing an escalation of violence despite ongoing talks between the Afghan government and Taliban in Doha.
Though Islamabad has claimed that it supports peace in Afghanistan, experts believe Pakistan has backed the Taliban which has killed thousands of innocent civilians. Experts have accused Pakistan of giving asylum to terrorists hiding from Afghan forces and sending fighters to support the Taliban.
According to a report by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), around 6,500 Pakistan terrorists are operating in Afghanistan most of them belonging to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities stated that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a “large terrorist group present in Afghanistan”, has claimed responsibility for various high-profile attacks in Pakistan and has facilitated others by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Lahskhar-e-Islam, the report said.
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