Afghans take to the streets to denounce truck bombing

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan

Afghans took to the streets Thursday in various cities across Afghanistan to denounce Wednesday's devastating truck bombing in Kabul as the country continues to reel from the carnage.

Large demonstrations were held in the capital Kabul, and other urban centers such as Jalalabad, Herat, Kandahar, Khost and Mazar-e-Sharif.

Civil society organizations urged the government and the international community to act beyond just condemning such atrocities after a truck bombing killed up to 90 people and wounded over 400 in the Afghan capital.

Participants of a demonstration in Kabul demanded the government punish those behind such attacks sternly as well as those who failed to prevent them.

Protestors chanted slogans like "Death to the Taliban, Death upon Daesh, Death upon their supporters”.

Religious scholars in the eastern Nangarhar province gathered in the provincial capital Jalalabad to denounce the ongoing fighting in the country.

Abdul Zaher, chief of the provincial Haj and Religious Affairs department, dubbed the armed rebellion and killing of the civilians as ‘Un-Islamic’.

Suspensions

The Afghan spy agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) said Thursday that early findings showed the Haqqani network with the assistance of the Pakistan’s intelligence agency carried out the attack.

"Terrorists have once again proved they were representing no religion and ideology and staged such attacks just to please their Pakistani lords," the NDS said in a statement.

According to the local Azadi Radio, President Ashraf Ghani is considering a summary sent to him by NDS for the execution of 11 militants in retaliation to this attack.

Minister for Interior Taj Mohammad Jahid has suspended several senior security officials for their alleged failure in preventing the attack.

According to the ministry, four top police and intelligence officials from to 10th police district, where the truck bombing took place, have been suspended.

The truck bomber wished to enter inside the diplomatic Green Zone but was stopped by the Afghan guards, most of whom died in the attack.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the many victims of this horrific attack and their families. This includes the heroic Afghan security guard who lost his life after stopping the vehicle at the boom gate, thus preventing even more bloodshed,” the German Embassy said yesterday.

The financial losses of the carnage to the private sector are estimated to be around $10 million by the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI).

According to the Kabul municipality, the attack has inflicted financial losses worth an estimated $ 14 million to the public property. Many embassies including the Turkish, German and Indian have also sustain damages.