AFGHANISTAN-BLAST/PARLIAMENT AFTERMATH Afghans urge government to punish security officials and provide safety after parliament attack

Record ID: 152004

  • Title: AFGHANISTAN-BLAST/PARLIAMENT AFTERMATH Afghans urge government to punish security officials and provide safety after parliament attack
  • Date: 23rd June 2015
  • Summary: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (JUNE 23, 2015) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF THE DESTROYED WALL NEAR THE PARLIAMENT HOUSE ATTACKED BY A CAR BOMB AFGHAN ARMY SOLDIER ON GUARD VARIOUS OF THE DESTROYED WALL THAT BELONGS TO AFGHAN PARLIAMENT AFGHAN POLICEMEN EXPLAINING THE SITUATION TO A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT NAQIBULLAH FAIQ AFGHAN MEMBER OF THE PARLIAMENT AT THE AREA OF ATTACK LISTENING TO THE PO
  • Embargoed: 8th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Afghanistan
  • Country: Afghanistan
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA6S3VKE4CT64L0PWXPPFAC1FN5
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Afghan people on Tuesday (June 23) urged the government to punish the security officials who they say have failed to protect the parliament from being attacked by Taliban insurgents on Monday and provide safety to a country plagued by worsening militant violence.
    A Taliban suicide bomber and six gunmen attacked the Afghan parliament on Monday (June 22) as lawmakers met to consider a new defence minister, and another district in the volatile north fell to the militants as they intensified a summer offensive.
    The brazen assault on the symbolic centre of power, along with territorial gains elsewhere, highlight how NATO-trained Afghan security forces are struggling to cope with increasing insurgence.
    Naqibullah Faiq is one of the lawmakers who survived the Monday attack. He vowed to go after the security officials who he said had failed to protect the parliament.
    "We are going to summon all the security departments and we will use all legal resources to trail them and punish them or even sack them from their jobs for their negligence of duty. If we don't take this attack seriously I am sure dereliction of duty will increase. We want to punish a big number of security officials," he said.
    Monday's attack began as lawmakers met with the new acting defence minister, Masoom Stanikzai. He is the third candidate so far for the key security post, and his appointment must be confirmed by parliament.
    A Taliban fighter detonated a car loaded with explosives outside parliament gates, according to Kabul police, raising questions about how the driver got through several security checkpoints.
    Six gunmen took up positions in a building near parliament, the police said, but never breached the compound's gates.
    A woman was killed and around 30 civilians were wounded in the attack, according to the police.
    Fighting has spiralled since the departure of most foreign forces from Afghanistan at the end of last year. The insurgents are pushing to take territory more than 13 years after U.S.-led military intervention toppled them from power.
    Residents in Kabul called on the government to ensure their safety.
    "The government must provide security, every day we worry about blasts in one part of the city or terror in another part of the city, we call on the government to fulfill their duty and ensure security of the people," said Rezwan jan, who lives near the parliament.
    Former army general Atiqullah Amerkhil blamed the government for their failure and incompetence to stem out violence across the country.
    "The recent appointments in the security sector were based on their relations with the two leaders (Ghani and Abdullah) rather than based on their qualifications for the job and the government doesn't have full control of the system. All these problems paved the way for enemies to launch attacks," said Amerkhil.
    In Washington, a U.S. State Department spokesman said that despite the assault, Afghanistan's security forces were improving.
    At the U.N. Security Council, the U.N. envoy to Kabul, Nicholas Haysom, said Afghanistan's security forces were "undeniably stretched" but resilient amid a push by insurgents for more territory and concerns that Islamic State militants were also seeking a foothold in the country.
    Monday's attack fits a pattern of high-profile assaults on heavily fortified buildings in the capital. Last month, car bombs targeted the Ministry of Justice, and attackers stormed two guest houses used by foreigners.
    In 2013 the presidential palace was hit, and the U.S. embassy has been attacked several times, notably in 2011 when nine people were killed and 27 wounded in coordinated strikes on the embassy and other targets.
    This year, the withdrawal of foreign forces and a reduction in U.S. air strikes have allowed Taliban fighters, who ruled Afghanistan with an iron fist from 1996 to 2001, to launch several major attacks in important provinces.
    A district in the northern province of Kunduz fell to the Taliban on Monday, the second such loss in two days. Officials said the militants were able to take over when urgently needed reinforcements failed to arrive.
    The Taliban captured Dasht-e-Archi district a day after hundreds of militants fought their way to the centre of the adjacent district of Chardara.
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