Afghanistan’s spy agency said on Wednesday two men arrested for an attack on a Kabul guesthouse, which killed four Indians, had confessed that the assault was plotted by a Haqqani Network commander in Pakistan.
The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a statement that the men were arrested during a special operation in Sang-e-Nawishta area of Kabul.The men confessed during preliminary investigations that the May 13 attack on Kabul’s Park Palace guesthouse was planned by Haqqani Network commander Qari Abdullah in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, the statement said.
The NDS identified one of the suspects as Abdul Wakil, who works for an NGO called Madera. The other suspect was identified as Ghulam Aziz. The statement said Wakil helped Qari Abdullah to plan the assault by preparing a fake United States Agency for International Development (USAID) identity card for Aziz, who visited the guesthouse and prepared a sketch for the attack.
The NDS said the attack was carried out by another militant identified as Idris, who was deployed from Peshawar. The attacker was killed by security forces during an overnight siege.
The NDS said Wakil and Aziz were also allegedly involved in an attack on the police headquarters in Logar province.Fourteen people died in the attack on Park Palace guesthouse, including four Indians, four Afghans, one Afghan-British citizen, two Pakistanis, an Italian, a Kazakh national and an American.
{{/usCountry}}The NDS said Wakil and Aziz were also allegedly involved in an attack on the police headquarters in Logar province.Fourteen people died in the attack on Park Palace guesthouse, including four Indians, four Afghans, one Afghan-British citizen, two Pakistanis, an Italian, a Kazakh national and an American.
{{/usCountry}}Seven of the dead were aid workers.Afghan officials had said militants targeted the guesthouse thinking the Indian ambassador was present in the compound to attend a music concert.
The NDS recently faced a barrage of criticism from Afghan lawmakers and politicians for signing a memorandum of understanding for cooperation with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency.