Saturday June 3, 2017
Kabul (BNA) The international community has expressed its solidarity with Afghanistan following the bomb blasts in Kabul that left more than 90 people dead.
A number of nations have put out statements condemning the attack and offering support, and in the most visible sign of international outrage lights were turned off at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani expressed his thanks for US support to Afghanistan in a phone call with President Donald Trump. The US president called to convey his deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed and injured in the deadly attack that took place on 31st May near the diplomatic zone in Kabul.
In the call, both leaders have condemned the attack, which occurred during the holy month of Ramadan, underscoring the barbaric nature of the terrorists who are enemies of all civilized peoples. The US president commended the bravery of Afghan first responders, who worked quickly to support the wounded. A White House statement said that he ‘also commended Afghan security forces for their steadfast efforts to defend the Afghan people from enemies who would seek to deny them the security and prosperity they so richly deserve.’ In a late night TV address, the president said the Afghan government and people stood united against terrorism. He said ‘The international community has today once again shown their commitment to assist Afghanistan to prevent the barbaric actions of terrorists.’
He reaffirmed his commitment to a reaching a peace settlement, calling on armed groups to ‘end their fighting against the Afghan nation, and solve disagreements through dialogue.’ But he warned that Afghan forces were being given new powers to act against those who continued to fight. And he said that attacks such as the one in Kabul showed that terrorists had no hope of winning a conventional war, and were facing increasingly strong Afghan forces. The president appealed to people to remember the history of a proud country that had withstood every invasion. In the past Afghans ‘safeguarded their well-earned unity.’ Today’s generation needed to do the same. “We must not let terrorist groups use our holy land for their unholy aims,” the president added.
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary General António Guterres strongly condemned the terrorist attack in the city’s diplomatic district in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul. In a statement he expressed his abhorrence at this act and underlined the need to reinforce the fight against terrorism and violent extremism. “Indiscriminate attacks against civilians are grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian laws and can never be justified. Those responsible for today’s attack must be brought to justice,” said a statement issued by his spokesman. Condemning in strongest term the “heinous and cowardly terrorist attack” that took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in the Wazir Akbar Khan area in Kabul on 31 May 2017, the UN Security Council in a statement underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice.
Members of the Security Council stressed that those responsible for these killings should be held accountable, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international laws and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Afghanistan and all other relevant authorities in this regard. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, said the timing of this cowardly attack during the holy month of Ramadan was deliberate and intended to target civilians and Foreign Service workers from some of the closest allies.
