Kabul hails New Delhi as closest ally

[Admin Khan]

A day after eight civilians, including children, were killed in a suicide attack on the Indian consulate in eastern Nangarhar province, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday Kabul wanted to further expand relations with New Delhi.
Another 22 civilians were wounded in the attack after which Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid phoned his Afghan counterpart Zalmai Rassoul and expressed his condolences with the victims’ families.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Janan Musazai told reporters Rassoul, calling India Afghanistan’s most trusted friend, insisted on further improving the relationship between the two countries.
“The minister told his Indian counterpart Afghanistan considers India its closest ally and a strategic partner. We will expand and improve our cooperation and relations with India in the months and years ahead,” Musazai quoted Rassoul as saying.
The spokesman said an investigation into the attack on the Indian mission was ongoing. So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Musazai said such attacks were planned outside Afghanistan. “We’re sure the barbaric attack involves a foreign hand which breads terrorism and supplies terrorists with logistic and financial support,” he remarked, without naming any country.
Political experts believe Islamabad is worried about India and Afghanistan becoming closer and has been using various tactics to sabotage their relations.
Musazai said Afghanistan had always maintained a balance in its relations with foreign countries. He added Afghanistan as a sovereign state maintained ties with foreign countries, including India, keeping in view its own interests.

[Shamlawar Khurasani]

Kabul municipality is desperate. Its difficult to have the West as sugar daddy and still maintain good relationship with Iran.

Likewise it is difficult to have a sovereign government and still be friends with Pakistan.

So there are a few options left.

[Maulik]

Intercepts suggest Pakistan's ISI hired 'assassins' to attack Indian envoy



The warning of the specific threat to the ambassador's life is based on communication intercepts by Indian intelligence.





Sources privy to the communication told Mail Today the intercepts speak of the ISI paying half a million rupees to two militants of the Taliban's Haqqani network in Afghanistan to attack the Indian envoy two weeks ago.

Following the intercepts, there have been a slew of visits to Afghanistan. Deputy National Security Adviser Nehchal Sandhu, a former Director of the Intelligence Bureau, was in Afghanistan recently and met senior Afghan national security officials,

"It was a specific alert. A team of security officials was sent to Afghanistan for a security review and it has made some recommendations. Clearly the aim is to pin down our top diplomat so we back off from our work," a senior official told Mail Today.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/p.../1/297760.html

[Shamlawar Khurasani]

Thats pretty cheap. Doesnt even cover the expense of a car, guns, vests and few months of training. Who paid for the rest of this operation? Haqqani paid from his own pocket? Or did he borrow the rest?

[Shamlawar Khurasani]

Great source: mail Today