Former Afghan President Assassinated

Former Afghan president and head of the High Peace Council, Burhanuddin Rabbani, was assassinated at his home in Kabul on Tuesday evening.A man named Esmatullah, who purported to be a top Taliban official, carried out the attack by detonating explosives concealed in his turban as he met with Mr Rabbani. Esmatullah is thought to be a member of the Quetta Shura based in Pakistan. Meeting at Mr Rabbani's his house in the Wazir Akhbar Khan neighbourhood of Kabul, he put his head on Mr Rabbani's his shoulder as a sign of respect. This was when he set off his bomb. Four others, including Mr. Rabbani's bodyguards and one of his secretaries, were also killed. Masoom Stanikzai, one of the peace council's secretaries, and several others were injured. Mr Rabani had just returned home from an official trip to Iran. No group has as yet claimed responsibility for the attack. But previous similar attacks on high-ranking Afghan officials have been carried by the Taliban. The half brother of President Hamid Karzai, Ahmed Wali Karzai, and the police chief of north zone, General Daud Daud, along with several other top officials have been assassinated by Taliban this year.Afghan President Hamid Karzai strongly condemned the assassination of Mr Rabbani. "It's a sad day for Afghanistan but a day of unity," Mr Karzai said. The president cut short his visit to the United States where he was to address the General Assembly of the United Nations. He immediately headed back to Afghanistan. President Barack Obama also condemned Mr Rabbani's assassination and called it a big loss for Afghanistan and the peace process in the country. Dr Abdullah Abdullah, head of the Coalition for Change and Hope, strongly condemned the murder and praised Mr Rabbani's achievements in bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan.Amrullah Saleh, the former head of the Afghan National Department of Security, also condemned the attack. Expressing deep anger, he called on the people of Afghanistan to come together to find a solution to rid the country of the Taliban. He also criticized the soft approach of the Afghan government towards the Taliban. Burhanuddin Rabani was the Mujahidin's first president from 1991 to 1996. During this time, Kabul became the battleground for warring Mujahidin fictions. When his government was overthrown by the Taliban, he headed the Northern Alliance resistance movement that fought the Taliban for five years. After the Taliban regime collapsed, Mr Rabbani officially handed over the government to Hamid Karzai at the Bonn International Conference. Mr Rabbani also served as a Member of Parliament for four years. Last year, he was appointed as the head of the Afghan High Peace Council by President Karzai to mediate peace negotiations between Afghan government and Taliban.