Turbaned killer waited for days to strike Rabbani
AP | Sep 22, 2011, 06.16AM IST
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KABUL: The suicide bomber who assassinated former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani insisted on meeting face-to-face with the leader and waited in Kabul for days to talk with him about brokering peace with the Taliban, an associate of Rabbani said on Wednesday.
Rabbani was killed on Tuesday by a man who had claimed he was a Taliban leader wanting to reconcile with the Afghan government. The assassination dashed hopes for reconciling with the Taliban and raised fears about deteriorating security in Afghanistan just as foreign troops are starting to pull out.
Mohammad Ismail Qasemyar , the international relations adviser for the peace council, said the bomber, identified as Esmatullah, had approached council officials , telling them that he was an important figure among Taliban and would only speak directly with Rabbani.
The appeal was passed up to president Hamid Karzai, who called Rabbani and encouraged him to meet with Esmatullah. The bomber stayed at a house used for guests of the peace council while waiting for Rabbani to return from a trip to Iran, Qasemyar said.
On Tuesday, the two met and the attacker went to shake hands with Rabbani at his home, bowing his head near the former president's chest and detonating a bomb hidden in his turban, Qasemyar said. The US-led coalition said another attacker was also involved, but could not be confirmed by Afghan officials. A Western official said one person has also been detained.
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KABUL: The suicide bomber who assassinated former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani insisted on meeting face-to-face with the leader and waited in Kabul for days to talk with him about brokering peace with the Taliban, an associate of Rabbani said on Wednesday.
Rabbani was killed on Tuesday by a man who had claimed he was a Taliban leader wanting to reconcile with the Afghan government. The assassination dashed hopes for reconciling with the Taliban and raised fears about deteriorating security in Afghanistan just as foreign troops are starting to pull out.
Mohammad Ismail Qasemyar , the international relations adviser for the peace council, said the bomber, identified as Esmatullah, had approached council officials , telling them that he was an important figure among Taliban and would only speak directly with Rabbani.
The appeal was passed up to president Hamid Karzai, who called Rabbani and encouraged him to meet with Esmatullah. The bomber stayed at a house used for guests of the peace council while waiting for Rabbani to return from a trip to Iran, Qasemyar said.
On Tuesday, the two met and the attacker went to shake hands with Rabbani at his home, bowing his head near the former president's chest and detonating a bomb hidden in his turban, Qasemyar said. The US-led coalition said another attacker was also involved, but could not be confirmed by Afghan officials. A Western official said one person has also been detained.
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