Americans never wanted Karzai govt. to get elected for the second term in the first place (news came in Atimes.com), as he was thought to be too close to Russia, India and Iran. India is all alone in Afghanistan, as USA is busy satiating Pakistan. These attacks have a motive of dissuading people-to-people contact between the two nations, as most of those killed were civilians waiting for Indian visa. But India has already gained a tactical advantage in "winning goodwill" by its rebuilding and humanitarian efforts. We can see more blasts and disturbances in near future as USA synchronizes it's Afghan policies with Pakistan's interests.
Large blast near Indian embassy in Kabul, 17 dead
- Thread starter RPK
- Start date
Taliban claim Afghan bomb, say embassy was target - Yahoo! News
Next major attack will be in india.Remember the last year cycle.sept 2008 indian embassy was attacked then 26/11 mumbai happened.
Firstly there are three main Taliban groups who only share activities loosely and are not "united" in a central Command and Control so to speak
(1) Quetta shura
(2) Haqqani network
(3) Gulbuddin group
I would highly doubt that (1) or (3) would have carried out this attack. Haqqani group has always had close relations with ISI and known to be pro-pakistan and would have carried it out without consultation with the other two groups.
Infact it was only a day ago that the Taliban announced they don't want to attack other countries breaking away from Al Qaeda. Why would they shoot themselves in the foot by this attack so soon.
Taliban claim they pose no threat to west | World news | guardian.co.uk
Knowingly or Unknowingly, India is in an excellent position with the local Afghan people PRECISELY because we don't have a large number of troops in fatigues. The local Afghan look at the Americans and NATO as "occupying" forces but not the Indians. how can they be when they don't have any soldiers there and are not participating in air strikes or causing collateral damage when going after the Taliban. Moreover, this attack has killed only Afghans and that is bound to have a blowback on the Haqqani network.
By playing only a developmental role as well as cultural interactions (Kyu ki saas bhi kabhi bahu this is apparently still the most watched serial there), Indians would not make ideal targets for the local Taliban groups if it wants to keep its popularity.
(1) Quetta shura
(2) Haqqani network
(3) Gulbuddin group
I would highly doubt that (1) or (3) would have carried out this attack. Haqqani group has always had close relations with ISI and known to be pro-pakistan and would have carried it out without consultation with the other two groups.
Infact it was only a day ago that the Taliban announced they don't want to attack other countries breaking away from Al Qaeda. Why would they shoot themselves in the foot by this attack so soon.
Taliban claim they pose no threat to west | World news | guardian.co.uk
Knowingly or Unknowingly, India is in an excellent position with the local Afghan people PRECISELY because we don't have a large number of troops in fatigues. The local Afghan look at the Americans and NATO as "occupying" forces but not the Indians. how can they be when they don't have any soldiers there and are not participating in air strikes or causing collateral damage when going after the Taliban. Moreover, this attack has killed only Afghans and that is bound to have a blowback on the Haqqani network.
By playing only a developmental role as well as cultural interactions (Kyu ki saas bhi kabhi bahu this is apparently still the most watched serial there), Indians would not make ideal targets for the local Taliban groups if it wants to keep its popularity.
Why the Indian embassy in Kabul was targeted again?
By Manish Chand
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) It may be a coincidence that the Indian embassy in Kabul was targeted for the second time by militants again in 15 months Thursday, a day after India asserted that it has made up its mind to “invest and endure” in Afghanistan. (my comment-India also indicated its willingness to engage Taliban elements that gave up violence also)But it gives a revealing clue about the motives of the attackers.
Three Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troopers were injured, but no Indian was killed, as opposed to the July 7, 2008, bombing that claimed the lives of two Indian diplomats in what was the first attack on an Indian mission abroad.
The Taliban has reportedly claimed responsibility for suicide bombing, saying that the target was India. The message is loud and clear: they will do anything to deter India from carrying out the various reconstruction activities that have earned the country enormous goodwill among Afghans.
“The attacks were a clear message to get India out of Afghanistan. It is an old battle over the control of Afghanistan,” Satish Chandra, former deputy national security adviser, told IANS.
While Chandra refused to speculate on the identity of the attackers, he pointed out that Pakistan has not severed links with the Taliban. “Terrorism from Pakistan and Taliban will continue.”
Ajai Sahni, an expert on terrorism, said the attack was planned well in advance to keep pressure on India to stay away from Afghanistan.
The attack, he said, bore the hallmark of last year’s attack on the Indian embassy that was executed by the Haqqani group of the Taliban in close coordination with Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
“It’s been well-documented not only by Indian intelligence agencies but also by American intelligence agencies which found proof in the form of wireless intercepts between Taliban militants and their ISI handlers,” Sahni told IANS.
“This time also, it’s another proxy of Pakistan. The motive is to drive India out of Afghanistan,” he said.
Sahni also feels that the attacks on Indian interests in Afghanistan are linked to the larger power game in the subcontinent.
India has forged close links with the Afghan government since the 2001 ouster of the Pakistan-backed Taliban regime, and scaled up its reconstruction activities to shield it from Pakistani designs to use that country to create its strategic depth vis-à-vis India.
Pakistan has deeply resented India’s decision to open four consulates in Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Mazaar-e-Sharif after the fall of the Taliban.
Thursday’s attack comes a day after India asked the international community to put “effective pressure” on Pakistan to crack down on terrorists within its territory and to maintain long-term commitment to the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
“The international community should put effective pressure on Pakistan to implement its stated commitment to deal with terrorist groups within its territory, including the members of Al Qaeda, Taliban’s Quetta Shura, Hizb-e-Islami, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other like-minded terrorist groups,” Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said Wednesday.
Rao also warned that the failure to pressure Pakistan on terrorism could lead to a situation similar to what prevailed prior to Sep 11, 2001.
The Taliban, allegedly backed by Pakistan, has relentlessly opposed India’s presence in Afghanistan.
India’s involvement in Afghanistan, straddling all the socio-economic sectors of development that includes large infrastructure as well as around 100-odd small and quick-gestation social projects, has created much resentment among Taliban and their Pakistani backers who fear a loss of influence in the country they have regarded as their backyard.
India has pledged developmental assistance of $1.2 billion for Afghanistan, making it the sixth largest bilateral donor in that country.
Three months ago, President Hamid Karzai had inaugurated the Pul-e-Khumri-to-Kabul transmission line and the sub-station at Chimtala built by India which is now supplying round-the-clock electricity to Kabul.
The critical 218-km Zaranj-Delaram Road was opened in January this year. It will reduce Afghanistan’s dependence on Pakistan for overland access.
Two big-ticket India-assisted projects — including the Salma Dam on the Hari Rud river in Herat and the Afghan parliament building — are expected to be completed by the end of 2011.
Read more: Why the Indian embassy in Kabul was targeted again
By Manish Chand
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) It may be a coincidence that the Indian embassy in Kabul was targeted for the second time by militants again in 15 months Thursday, a day after India asserted that it has made up its mind to “invest and endure” in Afghanistan. (my comment-India also indicated its willingness to engage Taliban elements that gave up violence also)But it gives a revealing clue about the motives of the attackers.
Three Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troopers were injured, but no Indian was killed, as opposed to the July 7, 2008, bombing that claimed the lives of two Indian diplomats in what was the first attack on an Indian mission abroad.
The Taliban has reportedly claimed responsibility for suicide bombing, saying that the target was India. The message is loud and clear: they will do anything to deter India from carrying out the various reconstruction activities that have earned the country enormous goodwill among Afghans.
“The attacks were a clear message to get India out of Afghanistan. It is an old battle over the control of Afghanistan,” Satish Chandra, former deputy national security adviser, told IANS.
While Chandra refused to speculate on the identity of the attackers, he pointed out that Pakistan has not severed links with the Taliban. “Terrorism from Pakistan and Taliban will continue.”
Ajai Sahni, an expert on terrorism, said the attack was planned well in advance to keep pressure on India to stay away from Afghanistan.
The attack, he said, bore the hallmark of last year’s attack on the Indian embassy that was executed by the Haqqani group of the Taliban in close coordination with Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
“It’s been well-documented not only by Indian intelligence agencies but also by American intelligence agencies which found proof in the form of wireless intercepts between Taliban militants and their ISI handlers,” Sahni told IANS.
“This time also, it’s another proxy of Pakistan. The motive is to drive India out of Afghanistan,” he said.
Sahni also feels that the attacks on Indian interests in Afghanistan are linked to the larger power game in the subcontinent.
India has forged close links with the Afghan government since the 2001 ouster of the Pakistan-backed Taliban regime, and scaled up its reconstruction activities to shield it from Pakistani designs to use that country to create its strategic depth vis-à-vis India.
Pakistan has deeply resented India’s decision to open four consulates in Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Mazaar-e-Sharif after the fall of the Taliban.
Thursday’s attack comes a day after India asked the international community to put “effective pressure” on Pakistan to crack down on terrorists within its territory and to maintain long-term commitment to the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
“The international community should put effective pressure on Pakistan to implement its stated commitment to deal with terrorist groups within its territory, including the members of Al Qaeda, Taliban’s Quetta Shura, Hizb-e-Islami, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other like-minded terrorist groups,” Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said Wednesday.
Rao also warned that the failure to pressure Pakistan on terrorism could lead to a situation similar to what prevailed prior to Sep 11, 2001.
The Taliban, allegedly backed by Pakistan, has relentlessly opposed India’s presence in Afghanistan.
India’s involvement in Afghanistan, straddling all the socio-economic sectors of development that includes large infrastructure as well as around 100-odd small and quick-gestation social projects, has created much resentment among Taliban and their Pakistani backers who fear a loss of influence in the country they have regarded as their backyard.
India has pledged developmental assistance of $1.2 billion for Afghanistan, making it the sixth largest bilateral donor in that country.
Three months ago, President Hamid Karzai had inaugurated the Pul-e-Khumri-to-Kabul transmission line and the sub-station at Chimtala built by India which is now supplying round-the-clock electricity to Kabul.
The critical 218-km Zaranj-Delaram Road was opened in January this year. It will reduce Afghanistan’s dependence on Pakistan for overland access.
Two big-ticket India-assisted projects — including the Salma Dam on the Hari Rud river in Herat and the Afghan parliament building — are expected to be completed by the end of 2011.
Read more: Why the Indian embassy in Kabul was targeted again
Pintu
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Taliban claim Kabul bombing
Taliban claim Kabul bombing
KABUL
October 9, 2009
THE Taliban have claimed responsibility for a massive suicide car bomb that targeted the Indian embassy in Kabul yesterday, killing 17 people and injuring another 63, most of them civilians.
A statement on the Islamist insurgent group's website said one of its ''martyrs'' had carried out the attack, and the Indian embassy in the heavily fortified central diplomatic area ''was the main target''.
The attack took place just after 8.30am local time on a busy street outside the Interior Ministry. The ministry's spokesman said two police officers and 15 civilians were killed in the blast.
He said 50 civilians were among the wounded, with 13 police officers also injured.
The Taliban statement, as is usual when it claims responsibility for suicide attacks, exaggerated the extent of the damage and the death toll.
The dead, it said, ''included a few high-ranking officials of the embassy, 35 soldiers of foreign and Afghan nationality''.
''The explosion caused damage to the walls of the Indian embassy, which was the main target,'' the statement added.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai called the perpetrators ''barbaric'', adding: ''This is a terrorist attack, and an obvious attack on defenceless Afghan civilians.''
A bomb hit the Indian embassy in July last year, killing 60 people in an attack blamed on Taliban militants linked to Pakistan's intelligence agencies.
In the latest attack a watch tower on a junction near the embassy was damaged and the windows of up to 100 shops were blown out.
A reporter described a massive crater in the middle of the road. The wreckage of a car appeared to have been blown 20 metres across the road.
The road was littered with debris, burned vehicles and body parts. Bloodied clothing, including the pale blue burqas worn by Afghan women, were scattered across the site.
It is the fourth blast to hit the capital since mid-August, just before presidential elections were held on August 20 amid a campaign of violence and intimidation by Taliban insurgents.
Most recently, six Italian soldiers were killed and three wounded in a suicide attack on a convoy on the road to Kabul's international airport on September 17.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack, which also killed 10 Afghan civilians and wounded more than 50 in one of the worst attacks on the more than 100,000 NATO and US-led troops in Afghanistan.AFP
Taliban claim Kabul bombing
KABUL
October 9, 2009
THE Taliban have claimed responsibility for a massive suicide car bomb that targeted the Indian embassy in Kabul yesterday, killing 17 people and injuring another 63, most of them civilians.
A statement on the Islamist insurgent group's website said one of its ''martyrs'' had carried out the attack, and the Indian embassy in the heavily fortified central diplomatic area ''was the main target''.
The attack took place just after 8.30am local time on a busy street outside the Interior Ministry. The ministry's spokesman said two police officers and 15 civilians were killed in the blast.
He said 50 civilians were among the wounded, with 13 police officers also injured.
The Taliban statement, as is usual when it claims responsibility for suicide attacks, exaggerated the extent of the damage and the death toll.
The dead, it said, ''included a few high-ranking officials of the embassy, 35 soldiers of foreign and Afghan nationality''.
''The explosion caused damage to the walls of the Indian embassy, which was the main target,'' the statement added.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai called the perpetrators ''barbaric'', adding: ''This is a terrorist attack, and an obvious attack on defenceless Afghan civilians.''
A bomb hit the Indian embassy in July last year, killing 60 people in an attack blamed on Taliban militants linked to Pakistan's intelligence agencies.
In the latest attack a watch tower on a junction near the embassy was damaged and the windows of up to 100 shops were blown out.
A reporter described a massive crater in the middle of the road. The wreckage of a car appeared to have been blown 20 metres across the road.
The road was littered with debris, burned vehicles and body parts. Bloodied clothing, including the pale blue burqas worn by Afghan women, were scattered across the site.
It is the fourth blast to hit the capital since mid-August, just before presidential elections were held on August 20 amid a campaign of violence and intimidation by Taliban insurgents.
Most recently, six Italian soldiers were killed and three wounded in a suicide attack on a convoy on the road to Kabul's international airport on September 17.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack, which also killed 10 Afghan civilians and wounded more than 50 in one of the worst attacks on the more than 100,000 NATO and US-led troops in Afghanistan.AFP
Pintu
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Thursday's blast more powerful than the one last year - India - The Times of India
Thursday's blast more powerful than the one last year
Indrani Bagchi, TNN 9 October 2009, 03:29am IST
NEW DELHI: The blast outside the Indian embassy wall in Kabul on Thursday morning was more intense than the one which killed IFS officer Venkat Rao and Brigadier R Mehta on July 7, 2008. Initial investigations showed the crater caused by the blast to have been significantly deeper.
A series of security steps taken by the government since July last year saved the Indian embassy and its personnel when the suicide bomber drove up with his car to the embassy at 8.27 am. Two Afghan policemen (who died in the blast) tried to stop the car, but failed.
India's envoy to Afghanistan Jayant Prasad told TOI: "Investigations will start to pinpoint responsibility."
But it was significant, said sources here, that the Taliban rushed to claim responsibility for the attack. In 2008, despite being questioned by journalists, the Taliban spokesperson did not claim ownership. The blast was traced by US and Afghan investigators to the Haqqani network and directly ordered by Pakistan's ISI.
But this time, Pakistan can distance itself from it with the Taliban claiming responsibility, particularly since the Taliban are now attacking targets in Pakistan. But Afghan officials were quoted saying the attack was hatched outside the country.
Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was quoted in Washington as saying that Pakistan would not give any "physical or political space" to any terrorist organisations in the country. "We have no choice. For our own security and for protection of our people, we have to get rid of these safe havens," he said speaking to a Washington think-tank.
Prasad said there was no inkling that such a blast was going to happen. In August, Indian intelligence officials had picked up some signals but these died out and there was no actionable intelligence.
Prasad said, "We have been on high alert, and will continue to be. Over the last few weeks, we have seen several high-intensity bomb attacks in Kabul."
India remains committed in Afghanistan despite the attacks. The government sat down with its key envoys in the region in August and the general consensus was India would continue to help Afghanistan rebuild itself and stay engaged.
Only on Wednesday, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said while addressing a seminar on Afghanistan, "We have an abiding interest in the stability of Afghanistan, in ensuring social and economic progress for its people, getting them on the track of self-sustained growth and thus enabling them to take their own decisions without outside interference. The binding factor in our relationship is that the interests of Afghanistan and India converge."
She said India would support the Afghan reconciliation programme, which has been on since 2005. "This should, of course, go hand-in-hand with the shutting down of support and sanctuaries provided to terrorist groups across the border."
Thursday's blast proves those sanctuaries are alive and well, said officials.
Thursday's blast more powerful than the one last year
Indrani Bagchi, TNN 9 October 2009, 03:29am IST
NEW DELHI: The blast outside the Indian embassy wall in Kabul on Thursday morning was more intense than the one which killed IFS officer Venkat Rao and Brigadier R Mehta on July 7, 2008. Initial investigations showed the crater caused by the blast to have been significantly deeper.
A series of security steps taken by the government since July last year saved the Indian embassy and its personnel when the suicide bomber drove up with his car to the embassy at 8.27 am. Two Afghan policemen (who died in the blast) tried to stop the car, but failed.
India's envoy to Afghanistan Jayant Prasad told TOI: "Investigations will start to pinpoint responsibility."
But it was significant, said sources here, that the Taliban rushed to claim responsibility for the attack. In 2008, despite being questioned by journalists, the Taliban spokesperson did not claim ownership. The blast was traced by US and Afghan investigators to the Haqqani network and directly ordered by Pakistan's ISI.
But this time, Pakistan can distance itself from it with the Taliban claiming responsibility, particularly since the Taliban are now attacking targets in Pakistan. But Afghan officials were quoted saying the attack was hatched outside the country.
Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was quoted in Washington as saying that Pakistan would not give any "physical or political space" to any terrorist organisations in the country. "We have no choice. For our own security and for protection of our people, we have to get rid of these safe havens," he said speaking to a Washington think-tank.
Prasad said there was no inkling that such a blast was going to happen. In August, Indian intelligence officials had picked up some signals but these died out and there was no actionable intelligence.
Prasad said, "We have been on high alert, and will continue to be. Over the last few weeks, we have seen several high-intensity bomb attacks in Kabul."
India remains committed in Afghanistan despite the attacks. The government sat down with its key envoys in the region in August and the general consensus was India would continue to help Afghanistan rebuild itself and stay engaged.
Only on Wednesday, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said while addressing a seminar on Afghanistan, "We have an abiding interest in the stability of Afghanistan, in ensuring social and economic progress for its people, getting them on the track of self-sustained growth and thus enabling them to take their own decisions without outside interference. The binding factor in our relationship is that the interests of Afghanistan and India converge."
She said India would support the Afghan reconciliation programme, which has been on since 2005. "This should, of course, go hand-in-hand with the shutting down of support and sanctuaries provided to terrorist groups across the border."
Thursday's blast proves those sanctuaries are alive and well, said officials.
LETHALFORCE
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This must be coincidence that USA passes the bill to triple aid to pakistan and there is a bomb blast in Kabul near the indian embassy, A US general few weeks ago criticized the indian effort in afghanistan and warned of incidents like this
US general warns against growing Indian influence in Afghanistan - Sulekha.com News
US general warns against growing Indian influence in Afghanistan - Sulekha.com News
^^^The right wing American lobby in the pentagon has traditionallyl always favored Pakistan over India and would likely continue to do so. That is why its important to keep diplomatic pressure on the US as much as possible.
Looks like Ms. Rao has something in mind this time in this regard
Nirupama Rao heads to Kabul; India demands global terror treaty
Looks like Ms. Rao has something in mind this time in this regard
Nirupama Rao heads to Kabul; India demands global terror treaty
BLACK_COBRA
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India will take all steps to protect its citizens’
KABUL/NEW DELHI: Last year, a suicide car bomber had rammed the gate of the Indian embassy in Kabul. Among those killed were senior IFS officer V V
Rao and defence attache Brigadier R D Mehta.
Suspicion of India’s agencies that the claim could just be a red herring stem from both the similar nature of the two attacks, as well as its timing. They feel that the attack was meant to influence the debate in US on what strategy to pursue in Afghanistan, with one school suggesting that Pakistan’s unease over India’s expanding footprint may have to be addressed in order to secure Islamabad’s cooperation.
Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said the target indeed was the Indian embassy. ‘‘I believe the suicide bomb was directed at the embassy since the suicide bomber came up to the outer perimeter wall of the embassy in a car loaded with explosives,’’ Rao said, adding that the intensity of the blast was similar to the one that occurred outside the building on July 7, 2008. The foreign secretary said India would take ‘‘whatever measures needed to safeguard security of our personnel and our interests in Afghanistan’’.
US ambassador Timothy J Roemer described the bombing as deeply troubling. ‘‘On behalf of President Obama, I want to extend to the people of India USA’s support to India, and its concern about this bombing in Afghanistan, which is deeply troubling ,’’ said Roemer.
?India will take all steps to protect its citizens? - India - The Times of India
KABUL/NEW DELHI: Last year, a suicide car bomber had rammed the gate of the Indian embassy in Kabul. Among those killed were senior IFS officer V V
Rao and defence attache Brigadier R D Mehta.
Suspicion of India’s agencies that the claim could just be a red herring stem from both the similar nature of the two attacks, as well as its timing. They feel that the attack was meant to influence the debate in US on what strategy to pursue in Afghanistan, with one school suggesting that Pakistan’s unease over India’s expanding footprint may have to be addressed in order to secure Islamabad’s cooperation.
Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said the target indeed was the Indian embassy. ‘‘I believe the suicide bomb was directed at the embassy since the suicide bomber came up to the outer perimeter wall of the embassy in a car loaded with explosives,’’ Rao said, adding that the intensity of the blast was similar to the one that occurred outside the building on July 7, 2008. The foreign secretary said India would take ‘‘whatever measures needed to safeguard security of our personnel and our interests in Afghanistan’’.
US ambassador Timothy J Roemer described the bombing as deeply troubling. ‘‘On behalf of President Obama, I want to extend to the people of India USA’s support to India, and its concern about this bombing in Afghanistan, which is deeply troubling ,’’ said Roemer.
?India will take all steps to protect its citizens? - India - The Times of India
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A reminder of India’s burden and stake in Afghanistan Siddharth Varadarajan New Delhi: The suicide attack on the Indian embassy compound in Kabul underlines a curious irony about the situation in Afghanistan: Despite playing no direct role in the American-led war against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, India is rapidly becoming one of the most highly favoured targets of terrorists in that country.
In 2008, a suicide bomber believed to be linked to the Haqqani network blew himself up outside the embassy, killing 58 people, including three Indian officials. And workers and engineers on Indian-led projects have been kidnapped and killed by the Taliban in the past, forcing India to limit its assistance to projects not involving its own manpower.
Barely 24 hours before Thursday’s deadly attack in Kabul, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao had expressed her government’s frustration at the “sense of defeatism” which has begun to overwhelm international public opinion about the situation in Afghanistan and which serves no purpose other than to encourage insurgent groups to step up their activities. She also warned against “facile attempts to strike Faustian bargains with terrorists,” a thinly veiled message to those in the United States who might find a quick pullout linked to a Pakistani-brokered political settlement with the Taliban a viable or tempting option.
The timing of the embassy bombing was obviously a coincidence but the Taliban – which has claimed responsibility in a statement on its website, shahamat.org – would like nothing better than to have the same defeatist spirit take hold of New Delhi, one of the largest providers of development assistance to the Afghan government.
Last year, India was told by U.S. officials that the embassy bombing had been sanctioned at the highest levels of the Pakistani intelligence establishment. This time, too, the Indian government is likely to conclude the suicide attack was scripted in Rawalpindi, presumably as a part of the “countermeasures” America’s top military commander in Afghanistan recently warned India about.
General Stanley A. McChrystal’s assessment, contained in an official report prepared by him a month ago, was schizophrenic. He said India was “exacerbating regional tensions” and encouraging “Pakistani countermeasures” by its increasing political and economic influence in the beleaguered country. But he also said Indian activities “largely benefit the Afghan people.”
At the root of this American ambiguity about the Indian role in Afghanistan is the division within Washington about virtually every aspect of the Obama administration’s AfPak policy. Should more U.S. soldiers be sent to Afghanistan, as Gen. McChrystal has demanded, or not? Should the war be expanded to Pakistani territory or not? Is it possible to reach an understanding with the Taliban if the latter breaks its ties with the Al-Qaeda? Is the Pakistani military part of the problem or the solution?
On the last question, Gen. McChrystal minced his words. Senator John Kerry was a little more direct, noting in Senate hearings earlier this month that “it has been difficult to build trust with Pakistan’s military and intelligence services over the years because our interests have not always been aligned and because ties between the ISI and Taliban remain troubling.”
Ms. Rao drew attention to those ties when she told a seminar here on Wednesday that the international community needs to put “effective pressure on Pakistan to implement its stated commitment to deal with terrorist groups within its territory, including the members of the Al-Qaeda, Taliban’s Quetta Shura, Hizb-e-Islami, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other like-minded terrorist groups.” Without this, she said, it would be “difficult to forestall the restoration of status quo ante, to a situation similar to what prevailed prior to 11 September 2001.”
Unfortunately for India, none of the options currently being considered by the U.S. is very palatable. Much as New Delhi fears American defeatism, it also knows any expansion in U.S. military operations in Afghanistan will likely make the situation worse, not better. Both scenarios, in any case, will increase American dependence on the Pakistani military, something India sees as fundamentally wrong-headed.
Preoccupied with finding the optimal military strategy, President Obama has done little to take forward his promise of seeking a regional solution. As a target of terror in Afghanistan, India has a right and an obligation to be more assertive in the quest for a more rational approach to the Afghan problem.
The Hindu : Front Page : A reminder of India’s burden and stake in Afghanistan
In 2008, a suicide bomber believed to be linked to the Haqqani network blew himself up outside the embassy, killing 58 people, including three Indian officials. And workers and engineers on Indian-led projects have been kidnapped and killed by the Taliban in the past, forcing India to limit its assistance to projects not involving its own manpower.
Barely 24 hours before Thursday’s deadly attack in Kabul, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao had expressed her government’s frustration at the “sense of defeatism” which has begun to overwhelm international public opinion about the situation in Afghanistan and which serves no purpose other than to encourage insurgent groups to step up their activities. She also warned against “facile attempts to strike Faustian bargains with terrorists,” a thinly veiled message to those in the United States who might find a quick pullout linked to a Pakistani-brokered political settlement with the Taliban a viable or tempting option.
The timing of the embassy bombing was obviously a coincidence but the Taliban – which has claimed responsibility in a statement on its website, shahamat.org – would like nothing better than to have the same defeatist spirit take hold of New Delhi, one of the largest providers of development assistance to the Afghan government.
Last year, India was told by U.S. officials that the embassy bombing had been sanctioned at the highest levels of the Pakistani intelligence establishment. This time, too, the Indian government is likely to conclude the suicide attack was scripted in Rawalpindi, presumably as a part of the “countermeasures” America’s top military commander in Afghanistan recently warned India about.
General Stanley A. McChrystal’s assessment, contained in an official report prepared by him a month ago, was schizophrenic. He said India was “exacerbating regional tensions” and encouraging “Pakistani countermeasures” by its increasing political and economic influence in the beleaguered country. But he also said Indian activities “largely benefit the Afghan people.”
At the root of this American ambiguity about the Indian role in Afghanistan is the division within Washington about virtually every aspect of the Obama administration’s AfPak policy. Should more U.S. soldiers be sent to Afghanistan, as Gen. McChrystal has demanded, or not? Should the war be expanded to Pakistani territory or not? Is it possible to reach an understanding with the Taliban if the latter breaks its ties with the Al-Qaeda? Is the Pakistani military part of the problem or the solution?
On the last question, Gen. McChrystal minced his words. Senator John Kerry was a little more direct, noting in Senate hearings earlier this month that “it has been difficult to build trust with Pakistan’s military and intelligence services over the years because our interests have not always been aligned and because ties between the ISI and Taliban remain troubling.”
Ms. Rao drew attention to those ties when she told a seminar here on Wednesday that the international community needs to put “effective pressure on Pakistan to implement its stated commitment to deal with terrorist groups within its territory, including the members of the Al-Qaeda, Taliban’s Quetta Shura, Hizb-e-Islami, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other like-minded terrorist groups.” Without this, she said, it would be “difficult to forestall the restoration of status quo ante, to a situation similar to what prevailed prior to 11 September 2001.”
Unfortunately for India, none of the options currently being considered by the U.S. is very palatable. Much as New Delhi fears American defeatism, it also knows any expansion in U.S. military operations in Afghanistan will likely make the situation worse, not better. Both scenarios, in any case, will increase American dependence on the Pakistani military, something India sees as fundamentally wrong-headed.
Preoccupied with finding the optimal military strategy, President Obama has done little to take forward his promise of seeking a regional solution. As a target of terror in Afghanistan, India has a right and an obligation to be more assertive in the quest for a more rational approach to the Afghan problem.
The Hindu : Front Page : A reminder of India’s burden and stake in Afghanistan
Can this be seen as an Indian response. Last night I was listening to a few Indian defence experts and they insisted that we don't need to do everything overtly, we have got capability to respond back in other manners.
41 killed in bomb blast in Peshawar - Pakistan - World - The Times of India
41 killed in bomb blast in Peshawar - Pakistan - World - The Times of India
Highly unlikely amit, this was just TTP targeting civilians again. TTP wouldn't take support from India even if we wanted to give it to them. IF India was doing covert activities its more likely to be in Baluchistan, but since everything is quite on that front I doubt we are involved there.
India's response should be to build HUMINT in Pashtoon areas of Afghanistan. Get pashtu speaking people there, India itself has large ethnic pathan populations who could be roped in as well. Now is the time to develop our HUMINT and tribal alliances; we have to prepare for the time when America will no longer be there.
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India to continue with Afghan projects: Govt
New Delhi: A day after its embassy in Kabul was attacked by a suicide bomber, an undeterred India on Friday said it is committed to development work in Afghanistan, which needs such assistance to serve the cause of democracy in the war-ravaged country.
"India believes that cause of democracy and peace in Afghanistan can be best served through development programmes which the Afghan Government and people need most urgently," Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur said here.
Noting that India has already carried out several major infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, she said the country has "committed" itself to provide such assistance estimated at 1.2 billion US Dollars.
A suicide bomber yesterday blew up an explosives-laden car outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul, killing 12 people and injuring 83, including three ITBP personnel, in the second attack on the mission in over a year.
New Delhi: A day after its embassy in Kabul was attacked by a suicide bomber, an undeterred India on Friday said it is committed to development work in Afghanistan, which needs such assistance to serve the cause of democracy in the war-ravaged country.
"India believes that cause of democracy and peace in Afghanistan can be best served through development programmes which the Afghan Government and people need most urgently," Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur said here.
Noting that India has already carried out several major infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, she said the country has "committed" itself to provide such assistance estimated at 1.2 billion US Dollars.
A suicide bomber yesterday blew up an explosives-laden car outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul, killing 12 people and injuring 83, including three ITBP personnel, in the second attack on the mission in over a year.
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Joheen the RAW is capable and we dont know what they do because under the OSA (Offical Secrets Act) not even the Houses of parliment are not at liberty to ask about RAW's Ops and workings and not only that RAW's capabilities In pakistan was severly ristriced ??? after IK Gujral disbanded JC(X) in the 1990's
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Nirupama in Kabul, all eyes on Pak - India - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: In 2008, US and Afghan intelligence zeroed in on Pakistan's ISI and Sirajuddin Haqqani as the masterminds of the attack on the Indian
embassy in Kabul. According to sources familiar with the developments then, US and Afghan intelligence had also found substantive evidence of Lashkar-e-Toiba working closely with the Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda — a fact that was used to proscribe them by the UN Security Council in December.
Afghan foreign ministry on Friday said Thursday's attack was well planned and was carried out from a nearby country. "The blast was planned and implemented from outside the borders of Afghanistan," it said, clearly pointing to Pakistan.
But if US revelations about the ISI and Taliban in 2008 were designed to pile on the pressure on Pakistan to spur action against terrorists, in October 2009, the situation is somewhat different.
US needs Pakistan's cooperation in the ongoing campaign against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in that country. Indian officials fear that the pressure this time will be considerably diluted. With the Taliban having swiftly claimed responsibility, even giving the name of the suicide bomber, Pakistan has plausible deniability.
Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, who was in Kabul on Friday, refused to get into who was behind the attack, leaving it to the official investigations. After her meeting with Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president assured India that a thorough investigation would be conducted into the suicide bomb attack. Rao also met Afghan foreign minister Rangin Dafdar Spanta.
Rao said she had come to express solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and to extend sympathies to families of those who died and suffered injuries in the attack. "Whoever is responsible for this attack is against peace, is against democracy, is against the people of Afghanistan, is against the people of India," Rao told reporters.
There are "forces, institutions and groups which are against friendship between India and Afghanistan", she added. Rao said such forces had their own agenda of causing instability in Afghanistan.
India's determination to go ahead in Afghanistan was articulated by minister of stare for external affairs Preneet Kaur. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, she said, "India believes that cause of democracy and peace in Afghanistan can be best served through development programmes which the Afghan government and people need most urgently," drawing attention to India's huge commitment to Afghanistan.
NEW DELHI: In 2008, US and Afghan intelligence zeroed in on Pakistan's ISI and Sirajuddin Haqqani as the masterminds of the attack on the Indian
embassy in Kabul. According to sources familiar with the developments then, US and Afghan intelligence had also found substantive evidence of Lashkar-e-Toiba working closely with the Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda — a fact that was used to proscribe them by the UN Security Council in December.
Afghan foreign ministry on Friday said Thursday's attack was well planned and was carried out from a nearby country. "The blast was planned and implemented from outside the borders of Afghanistan," it said, clearly pointing to Pakistan.
But if US revelations about the ISI and Taliban in 2008 were designed to pile on the pressure on Pakistan to spur action against terrorists, in October 2009, the situation is somewhat different.
US needs Pakistan's cooperation in the ongoing campaign against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in that country. Indian officials fear that the pressure this time will be considerably diluted. With the Taliban having swiftly claimed responsibility, even giving the name of the suicide bomber, Pakistan has plausible deniability.
Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, who was in Kabul on Friday, refused to get into who was behind the attack, leaving it to the official investigations. After her meeting with Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president assured India that a thorough investigation would be conducted into the suicide bomb attack. Rao also met Afghan foreign minister Rangin Dafdar Spanta.
Rao said she had come to express solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and to extend sympathies to families of those who died and suffered injuries in the attack. "Whoever is responsible for this attack is against peace, is against democracy, is against the people of Afghanistan, is against the people of India," Rao told reporters.
There are "forces, institutions and groups which are against friendship between India and Afghanistan", she added. Rao said such forces had their own agenda of causing instability in Afghanistan.
India's determination to go ahead in Afghanistan was articulated by minister of stare for external affairs Preneet Kaur. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, she said, "India believes that cause of democracy and peace in Afghanistan can be best served through development programmes which the Afghan government and people need most urgently," drawing attention to India's huge commitment to Afghanistan.
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fullstory
ISI behind attack on Indian embassy: Afghan envoy to US
Washington, Oct 10 (PTI) Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI was behind the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul which killed 17 people and wounded more than 60 others, Afghan envoy to the US has claimed.
"Yes, we do," Afghan Ambassador to the US Said T Jawad told the PBS news channel in an interview when asked if he was pointing the figure at Pakistan for the suicide bombing that took place on Thursday.
"We are pointing the finger at the Pakistan intelligence agency, based on the evidence on the ground and similar attack taking place in Afghanistan," Jawad said.
While the Karzai Government was quick to point figure towards foreign players in the attack on the Indian embassy early this week, this is for the first time that a top Afghan official has blamed the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI for the terror strike.
ISI behind attack on Indian embassy: Afghan envoy to US
Washington, Oct 10 (PTI) Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI was behind the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul which killed 17 people and wounded more than 60 others, Afghan envoy to the US has claimed.
"Yes, we do," Afghan Ambassador to the US Said T Jawad told the PBS news channel in an interview when asked if he was pointing the figure at Pakistan for the suicide bombing that took place on Thursday.
"We are pointing the finger at the Pakistan intelligence agency, based on the evidence on the ground and similar attack taking place in Afghanistan," Jawad said.
While the Karzai Government was quick to point figure towards foreign players in the attack on the Indian embassy early this week, this is for the first time that a top Afghan official has blamed the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI for the terror strike.
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Terror attacks targeting Indian establishments in Kabul planned in Pak: Afghan intel
KABUL: In yet more evidence which nails Pakistan's dirty terror policies against India, Afghanistan's intelligence department has said that a series of deadly terror attacks on Indian establishments in Kabul originated from that country.
Afghanistan's National Department for Security (NDS) alleged that the attacks on foreign targets were chalked out in Pakistan based terror sanctuaries of Taliban and other extremist organisations, The Daily Times reports.
NDS officials said that the members of the group, which had targeted the Indian embassy last year and the guest-house frequented by Indian nationals earlier this year, have been arrested.
"This group either managed to flee or went into hiding, but have been arrested now," NDS spokesman said.
The Taliban had carried out coordinated suicide attacks at two hotels in Kabul killing up to nine Indians, including two Major-rank Army officers in February.
At least 10 others, including five Indian Army officers, were injured in the strike that killed 8 others, including locals and nationals from other countries.
The bombers, believed to be three in number, struck at the guest houses, particularly at Park Residence, rented out by the Indian embassy for its staffers and those linked to India's developmental work in Afghanistan.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...d-in-Pak-Afghan-intel/articleshow/6154895.cms
KABUL: In yet more evidence which nails Pakistan's dirty terror policies against India, Afghanistan's intelligence department has said that a series of deadly terror attacks on Indian establishments in Kabul originated from that country.
Afghanistan's National Department for Security (NDS) alleged that the attacks on foreign targets were chalked out in Pakistan based terror sanctuaries of Taliban and other extremist organisations, The Daily Times reports.
NDS officials said that the members of the group, which had targeted the Indian embassy last year and the guest-house frequented by Indian nationals earlier this year, have been arrested.
"This group either managed to flee or went into hiding, but have been arrested now," NDS spokesman said.
The Taliban had carried out coordinated suicide attacks at two hotels in Kabul killing up to nine Indians, including two Major-rank Army officers in February.
At least 10 others, including five Indian Army officers, were injured in the strike that killed 8 others, including locals and nationals from other countries.
The bombers, believed to be three in number, struck at the guest houses, particularly at Park Residence, rented out by the Indian embassy for its staffers and those linked to India's developmental work in Afghanistan.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...d-in-Pak-Afghan-intel/articleshow/6154895.cms
