AFGHANISTAN-GHANI Afghan president urges clampdown on Taliban activities in Pakistan

Record ID: 144492

  • Title: AFGHANISTAN-GHANI Afghan president urges clampdown on Taliban activities in Pakistan
  • Date: 10th August 2015
  • Summary: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AUGUST 10, 2015) (REUTERS) AFGHAN PRESIDENT, ASHRAF GHANI, HOLDING NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERAMEN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) AFGHAN PRESIDENT, ASHRAF GHANI, SAYING: "The incidents in the past two months in general and particularly the incidents of recent days prove that suicide bomber training centres and bomb making factories, which are continually used to
  • Embargoed: 25th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Afghanistan
  • Country: Afghanistan
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAEKVVX6G52RFPMTAFZQL7R2FUX
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Afghan president Ashraf Ghani condemned attacks in the country on Monday (August 10), saying the Taliban was still running bomb-making factories and suicide training centres in neighbouring Pakistan, and urging Islamabad to cut them off.
    "The incidents in the past two months in general and particularly the incidents of recent days prove that suicide bomber training centres and bomb making factories, which are continually used to kill our innocent people, are still active in that country (Pakistan)," he said.
    "We want the Pakistani government to take practical action against those circles who are committing rebellious acts against Afghanistan. We want them to stop their rebellious acts," he added.
    But Ghani did not entirely rule out resuming dialogue with the Taliban if it stopped the violence.
    A car bomb exploded near the entrance to Kabul airport on Monday (August 10) killing at least five people and wounding 16, days after a series of suicide attacks in the Afghan capital killed dozens of civilians and wounded hundreds more.
    The wave of bombings in Kabul and provincial centres follows a change of leadership in the Afghan Taliban, after the recent revelation of the death of their founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, and a dispute over the leadership of the insurgency.
    The attacks have dashed any hope of an immediate resumption of peace talks with the government, and suggest new Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour intends to send a message that there will be no let up in the insurgency.
    The Taliban claimed responsibility for Monday's suicide attack in a crowded area outside an airport checkpoint, saying it was targeting "foreign forces".
    Conflict between the Western-backed government and the Taliban has intensified this year, with civilians and Afghan security forces taking the brunt after the NATO combat mission ended last year.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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