India strongly condemns terrorist attack on Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh

India strongly condemned the deadly attack on the convoy of Afghanistan’s first Vice President Amrullah Saleh on September 9 which claimed at least 10 lives. According to local media reports, Saleh survived the attack with minor injuries after the bombing targeted his convoy passing through Kabul in the morning.

Saleh appeared on television screens with bandages on one hand immediately after the attack and said that he was fine and had suffered only slight burns. Condemning the terrorist attack, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava extended condolences on behalf of India to the families of those killed in the attack and prayers for the injured.

The blast was reported around 7:30am (local time) in the Taimani area of Kabul city and security forces were immediately deployed at the scene. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahed quick denied responsibility of the attack, saying explosion in Kabul has nothing to do with the “Mujahedeen of the Islamic Emirate", as the Taliban call themselves.

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ISIS-K past records

ISIS-K, which was involved in the rocket attack at the inauguration ceremony of President Ashraf Ghani and attack on Afghan politicians gathering in the west of Kabul, is yet to accept or deny the responsibility. The Islamic State affiliates recently faced a huge setback after Abdullah Orakzai, the designated “chief judge” of ISIS Khorasan, was killed in a complex operation by Afghan forces.

NDS confirmed the killing of ISIS Khorasan Head of Intelligence Assadullah Orakzai who was involved in plotting several deadly attacks on military and civil targets in Afghanistan. The terrorist organisation has intensified the attack in several parts of Afghanistan as the government and the Taliban continue to take action on the peace deal signed earlier this year. 

According to a global think tank CSIS, ISIS-K carries out its global strategy in different operating environments by curating it to local conditions. It has been responsible for nearly 100 attacks against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as roughly 250 clashes with the US, Afghan, and Pakistani security forces since January 2017. 

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