KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday condemned a blast that ripped through a Chinese-run restaurant in Kabul, killing at least seven people, while criticizing Afghanistan’s Taliban administration for allowing “safe havens” to militant groups to export extremist violence in the region.
The explosion struck the restaurant in Kabul’s Shahr-e-Naw commercial district, an area considered one of the safest in the Afghan capital, killing one Chinese national and six Afghans and wounding several others, including a child, according to Afghan authorities.
The Afghan affiliate of Daesh militant group claimed responsibility, saying the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.
“The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has failed to honor the commitments made under the Doha Peace Agreement, particularly the obligation to prevent the use of Afghan soil for the export of terrorism,” Zardari said in a statement circulated by his office.
“Pakistan has repeatedly stressed that no terrorist groups should be allowed safe havens in Afghanistan and that regional peace and security must be upheld,” he continued, adding that “it is not just Pakistan but other neighbors of Afghanistan, including Tajikistan, [that] have recently been affected by the terrorists operating out of Afghan soil.”
