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| Afghanistan |
| Afghanistan in mourning after attack kills 52 |
| 2007-11-08 |
| PUL-I-KHUMRI, Afghanistan - Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday declared three days of national mourning after 52 people were killed, six of them lawmakers, in the country’s deadliest suicide bombing. Hundreds of people attended funerals for the dead in the rural town of Pul-i-Khumri, 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Kabul, where the attacker targeted a crowd gathered Tuesday to welcome visiting parliamentarians. A military plane flew the bodies of the six MPs, including prominent opposition figure Mustafa Kazimi, back to the capital, where several government officials attended a ceremony. The parliamentarians, elected in 2005, four years after the removal of the Taliban government -- were to be given a state funeral on Thursday. Two other lawmakers were wounded, a grave-looking Karzai told a press conference, announcing the mourning period and ordering that all national flags be dropped to half-mast. Television stations abandoned normal programming to broadcast recitations from the Koran, religious music and analysis of the incident. The governor of northern Baghlan province, Alam Ishaqzy, said late Wednesday that the number of casualties had increased to 52 dead and 106 wounded from the previous toll of 41 dead and 80 wounded. Many of the casualties were children but the number was not yet clear. The national assembly accused the local government of not providing sufficient security for the visiting parliamentary delegation, who had been about to inspect a sugar factory on the outskirts of Pul-i-Khumri, the Baghlan capital. The small town, which has seen almost none of the Taliban-linked violence plaguing southern and eastern Afghanistan, was reeling after the attack. “I only had one brother,” said a weeping young man named Qais who was mourning the loss of his sibling. “Taliban are not Muslims. If they were Muslims, they would not attack Muslims.” |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #7 Liberalhawk: Im not sure what it means for Kharzai to be indignant with the Taliban Well if he couldn't actually condemn them in stronger term and ask them to stop intentionally doing things that get civilians killed, then he could be a teeny bit more sympathetic with coalition forces when they accidentally kill some. His statements just embolden the Taliban and get more killed. He's still hedging his bet. |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-11-08 17:31 |
| #6 actually Qais statement is one of utter rejection of AQ and its ideology Ummm ... no. Please feel free to drop the roseate spectacles, Liberalhawk. Qais' statement is the usual self-pitying Muslim lamentation that, once again, their favorite brand of murderous violence has slipped its leash and turned upon them as well. Note the total lack of any protestation about terrorism in general? Note the specific condemnation of Muslim on Muslim violence only? It is this sort of moral and intellectual hypocrisy that condemns Islam to history's scrap heap. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-11-08 12:42 |
| #5 actually Qais statement is one of utter rejection of AQ and its ideology, and something we want to encourage. Im not sure what it means for Kharzai to be indignant with the Taliban, against whom hes been fighting since before he became president. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2007-11-08 09:18 |
| #4 “Taliban are not Muslims. If they were Muslims, they would not attack Muslims.” BZZZZZZZZZZ! Oh, I'm awfully sorry, Qais. That is incorrect. What do we have for him, Johnny? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-11-08 08:59 |
| #3 including prominent opposition figure Mustafa Kazimi Lebanon comes to Afghanistan? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2007-11-08 07:50 |
| #2 “Taliban are not Muslims. If they were Muslims, they would not attack Muslims.” Yeah, that one sorta stuck out like a sore thumb. Lemme see: Oh, I got it. True Muslims only kill infidels! Now tell that to the takfiri. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-11-08 03:39 |
| #1 Perhaps Karzai could summon up 10x the indignity he comes up with when the coalition ends up killing five "innocents" despite doing their best to minimze civilian casualties? Snark contest! Translate the following statement into English: “Taliban are not Muslims. If they were Muslims, they would not attack Muslims.” |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-11-08 02:04 |