President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani also blamed neighbouring Pakistan for what he described as Islamabad’s support to the insurgents whose war against Kabul is now nearing its 14th year, and said he was sending a delegation to Islamabad later this week to demand a stop to this.POOL/Reuters
In a televised address, Ashraf Ghani also blamed neighbouring Pakistan for what he described as Islamabad's support to the insurgents whose war against Kabul is now nearing its 14th year, and said he was sending a delegation to Islamabad later this week to demand a stop to this.
"We know they have sanctuaries there, we know they are active there," Mr. Ghani said, referring to Taliban leaders living in Pakistan. "We need all those activities to be stopped."
Since assuming office a year ago, Mr. Ghani has pursued closer relations with Pakistan, which wields influence over the insurgent group, hoping that it could use that influence to bring the Taliban into peace negotiations.
Pakistan, which has in the past denied supporting the Taliban, said it remains committed to maintaining good relations with Kabul and that after losing tens of thousands of its own people to terrorist attacks, it can feel the "pain and anguish of the brotherly people" of Afghanistan over the latest attacks there.
"Pakistan condemns these deadly attacks in Afghanistan in the strongest terms," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that Pakistan will continue to support and facilitate an "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process" with the Taliban.
Pakistan hosted the first official round of Kabul-Taliban negotiations last month, but a second round that was due at the end of last month was indefinitely postponed after the Afghan government announced the death more than two years ago of the reclusive Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
The one-eyed Mullah Omar had hosted Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda in the years leading up to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He had not been seen in public since fleeing over the border into Pakistan after the 2001 United States-led invasion that ousted the Taliban. Since the announcement of his death, the Taliban have been torn by infighting and rivalries for the leadership post.
On Monday, Mr. Ghani appeared to take a step back on the peace talks.
"We don't want Pakistan to bring the Taliban to peace talks, but to stop the Taliban's activities on their soil," he said.
Only hours earlier, a suicide car bombing at a busy roundabout near the entrance to the Kabul airport killed at least five people and wounded 16, officials said. The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Kabul provincial police chief, Abdul Rahman Rahimi, told Associated Press that a car packed with explosives blew up at the busy intersection.
Mr. Ghani also underlined his concerns in a telephone conversation Monday with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Mr. Kerry's spokesman John Kirby said the two discussed the need of Afghanistan and Pakistan to eliminate safe havens for Taliban insurgents.
The attacks demonstrate the insurgency's "complete disregard for the lives of innocent Afghans," Mr. Kirby told reporters in Washington, saying the United States would work with Afghanistan and Pakistan to try to create a "stable, secure and prosperous region."