Arsala Jamal
A bomb hidden in a microphone has killed
an Afghan provincial governor as he made a
speech at a mosque after Eid prayers in
Logar, close to the capital Kabul. Arsala Jamal was appointed by President
Hamid Karzai, like all 34 provincial
governors, and he was seen as a close ally
of the president, acting as one of his
campaign managers in the 2009 election. “This morning, governor Jamal was
delivering a speech after Eid prayers when
he was killed by a bomb planted in the
microphone,” Logar provincial governor
spokesman Din Mohammad Darwish. “The governor wanted to speak and
congratulate everyone on the occasion of
Eid. At least 18 other people have been
wounded, including civilians and
government employees.” Jamal only took up the Logar job in April
after serving as governor of Khost, on the
border with Pakistan. No group claimed immediate responsibility
for the blast, though Taliban militants often
target provincial government officials as
well as Afghan soldiers and police. Mr Karzai condemned Jamal’s killing, saying
the attack inside the mosque showed the
Taliban had no respect for Islam. Earlier in his presidential Eid address on
Tuesday, he again appealed for peace. “Hamid Karzai called on the Taliban to work
for the development of their country, and
to spare Afghan security forces who are
working to protect their soil, national
dignity, and to stop carrying out attacks,”
his office said. “(The president) once again called on the
Taliban and their leaders not to throw the
youth of this country into destruction.” Mohammad Jan Abid, head of the criminal
investigative department in Logar,
confirmed the mosque bombing and said a
probe would be launched. Volatile Logar, which lies to the south of the
Afghan capital, is seen as a key strategic
region, often described as a “gateway to
Kabul” for Taliban militants based in
strongholds across the south and east. Security in the province has deteriorated in
recent years, with the Taliban holding sway
in some areas despite sustained Afghan and
US military pressure. Village-based Afghan Local Police (ALP)
forces have also been active trying to
wrestle back control of Taliban-held
territory. The Taliban have vowed to step up attacks
as Afghanistan prepares for presidential
elections in April and the withdrawal of
87,000 NATO troops by the end of next
year. Taliban supremo Mullah Omar on Sunday
said he “rejected” the elections, which he
alleged were being manipulated by foreign
powers, and called on Afghans not to
participate. The hardline Islamist Taliban regime was
driven from power by a US-led coalition in
2001 for sheltering the al-Qaida leaders
behind the 9/11 attacks. The US and Afghanistan are currently in the
last stages of talks on a Bilateral Security
Agreement (BSA) that would see several
thousand US troops remain in the country
to aid stability and continue training of local
security forces. Omar warned any US bases remaining on
Afghan soil “will never be accepted”, and
that “armed jihad will continue against them
with more momentum”. Eid ul Adha is a major public holiday across
the Muslim world, with mosques packed
with devotees marking the prophet
Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son
when God ordered him to. Sheep and goats are sacrificed in many
households and the meat distributed among
family, friends and the poor. [AFP]
