UN Office Assailants Were Taliban Militants Who Had Renounced Violence

UN Office Assailants Were Taliban Militants Who Had Renounced Violence
Sunday, 10 April 2011 21:44
Written by TOLOnews.com


Some of the Taliban militants who had joined the peace process were involved in the attack on the UN office in Mazar-e-Sharif, investigators find.

A delegation that was recently sent to the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif to investigate about the deadly attack on the UN office has said some of those who had apparently renounced violence and joined the peace process were involved in the attack and the murder of the UN workers.

The protest was led by five members of the Clerics Council who had also directed the protesters towards the UN office, the delegation said.

A peaceful protest in reaction to the recent Koran burning by an American pastor was staged in Mazar-e-Sharif on April 1, but it suddenly turned violent with some protesters breaking into the UN office killing 7 foreign workers.

Head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, has said the cause of the protests only staged in Afghanistan has to be analysed eventually.

"One day we will have to analyse why the protests only took place in Afghanistan," Mr de Mistura has said.

According to the delegation visiting Mazar-e-Sharif, the police has arrested 33 and there is evidence against 15 of them being involved in the violence.

"Some of the Taliban militants who had joined the peace process and were residing in a safe house in Mazar were involved in the attack," a member of the delegation, Rohgul Khairzad, said.

Meanwhile, the New York Times has written that the violence has showed a disturbing gauge of Taliban influence in Mazar-e-Sharif.

"Whether the killings were planned or not, the violence has proved to be a disturbing gauge of the depths of Taliban influence in this progressive northern city, and of its potential to foment unrest in the months ahead, the Times has written.

Some of the Afghan senators have blamed the provincial security forces and the governor of Balkh for not being able to control the violence.