India has hinted at a clear Pakistani imprint in the murderous terror attack targetting the Indian consulate in Jalalabad on Saturday morning. All the three suicide car bombers, who failed in their mission, are believed to be Pakistani
nationals.
The attack left at least nine persons dead and several injured. Most of the dead were in a mosque adjacent to the consulate.
In a statement following the failed bid, New Delhi while condemning the attack said, “It has once again highlighted that the main threat to Afghanistan’s security and stability stems from terrorism and the terror machine that continues to operate from beyond its borders.”
New Delhi also reaffirmed its resolve to continue working in Afghanistan. Pakistan has been both suspicious and anxious about India’s role in Afghanistan as the war-torn nation heads for the 2014 drawdown of the Nato forces.
Saturday’s attack is the fourth one on an Indian mission in Afghanistan. The Jalalabad consulate was struck earlier in 2007 while the embassy in Kabul has faced attacks in 2008 and 2009. After the 2008 attack, India had blamed Pakistan’s ISI for it.
It’s learnt that all three assailants involved in the Jalalabad operation had stayed in Afghanistan’s eastern border province of Kunar for a week before leaving for their suicide mission in Jalalabad, which is the capital of Nangarhar province, also in eastern Afghanistan.
Both Kunar and Nangarhar are hotbeds of insurgent activity and also share border with Pakistan. They are believed to have driven down to Jalalabad on Friday night where they were to target the Indian consulate.
In Jalalabad, they were hosted by some Arab terrorists as per the information gathered so far.
The eastern border province of Nangarhar, and its capital Jalalabad, have long been a hotbed of insurgent activities. The Taliban, though, has denied involvement in the suicide attack.
Security for the Indian embassy in Kabul as well as the consulates in Jalalabad, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar and Herat have been beefed up. Indeed, given the threat perception reports, Indian ambassador to Afghanistan Amar Sinha was in New Delhi to hold consultations here when the attack happened.
India also reiterated its commitment to continue assisting Afghanistan in its reconstruction and development efforts. MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said the attack was not just against India but an attack against its efforts to help the Afghan people overcome the tragic hardships they have endured due to several decades of war.