US President Donald Trump
has called for "decisive action" against the Taliban terrorist group by
“all countries” in Afghanistan following yet another terror bombing in
the country’s capital Kabul that killed at least 95 people.
"I condemn the despicable car bombing attack in Kabul today that has
left scores of innocent civilians dead and hundreds injured,” Trump said
in a statement released on Saturday. “This murderous attack renews our
resolve and that of our Afghan partners."
"Now, all countries should take decisive action against the Taliban and
the terrorist infrastructure that supports them," he emphasized.
The Taliban is a Takfiri terror group that in many respects resembles
the Daesh (ISIL) and adheres to the Saudi-led Wahhabi interpretation of
Islam, widely rejected by most Muslims and authoritative Islamic
scholars, who regard Wahhabism as a deviant and extremist version of
Islam invented by Saudi royal religious authorities.
Taliban and Daesh are also widely believed to be linked to and
financed by the Saudi regime and their elements in Pakistan, Afghanistan
and other Muslim nations.
Afghanistan has been plunged into a brutal war since the US-led
military invasion of the terror-ravaged nation in October 2001 under the
pretext of “war on terrorism” and with the pledge of uprooting the
Taliban and bringing peace and stability to the country.
Seventeen years on, however, terrorism continues to persist
throughout Afghanistan, leaving thousands of innocent people killed,
injured and displaced.
Afghan volunteers carry bodies at the scene of a car bomb
explosion in front of the old Ministry of Interior Affairs in Kabul on
January 27, 2018. (Photo by AFP)
"The Taliban's cruelty will not prevail," Trump further claimed. "The
United States is committed to a secure Afghanistan that is free from
terrorists who would target Americans, our allies and anyone who does
not share their wicked ideology."
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also censured the "senseless"
attack, insisting there can be "no tolerance for those, who support or
offer sanctuary to terrorist groups."
"The Taliban's use of an ambulance as a weapon to target civilians
represents inhumane disregard for the people of Afghanistan and all
those working to bring peace to the country," Tillerson emphasized,
adding that the attack breached "the most basic international norms."
The top US diplomat further stated, "All countries who support peace
in Afghanistan have an obligation to take decisive action to stop the
Taliban's campaign of violence."
Though he did not identify any country by name, the Trump
administration has repeatedly accused Pakistan of neglect in cracking
down on Taliban-linked militant groups such as the Haqqani faction.
Trump has also lashed out at Pakistan in early January, slamming what
he referred to as Islamabad's “lies” and “deceit” in the fight against
terrorism -- with Washington suspending hundreds of millions of dollars
in military assistance to the country.
An explosives-packed ambulance was used for the latest Kabul bombing.
Terrified survivors fled the crowded area of the Afghan capital, which
was scattered with body parts, blood and debris, and hospitals were
overwhelmed by the large number of wounded, estimated to number at least
158.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the fatal attack a week after
it claimed an assault on the Intercontinental Hotel in the Afghan
capital, in which over 20 people lost their lives.
Many parts of Afghanistan remain plagued by terrorism despite the presence of thousands of foreign troops.
Comments
Post a Comment