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Afghan forces stop rockets, 15 Taliban from attacking peace jirga

Other News Materials 6 June 2010 15:12 (UTC +04:00)
Afghan security forces arrested 15 Taliban fighters, including would-be suicide bombers, and seized 700 rockets meant to attack the site of a peace assembly in Kabul, the Interior Ministry said Sunday.
Afghan forces stop rockets, 15 Taliban from attacking peace jirga

Afghan security forces arrested 15 Taliban fighters, including would-be suicide bombers, and seized 700 rockets meant to attack the site of a peace assembly in Kabul, the Interior Ministry said Sunday.

Taliban militants tried to stop the so-called peace-jirga attended by more than 1,600 delegates by firing rockets and unleashing three suicide bombers minutes after it began on Wednesday. Two of the bombers were killed, while a third was taken into custody, DPA reported.

Two days after the assembly ended, the Interior Ministry said Sunday that the Afghan security forces arrested 15 Taliban - broken into three groups - during and before the jirga was convened.

The security forces also found 700 rockets in different parts of the Kabul city ahead of the three-day-jirga, ministry spokesman Zamarai Bashary told a press conference. Some of the rockets were buried below ground and fixed to timers, he said.

"If the militants had succeeded in carrying out their attacks, one whole beautiful part of Kabul city would have been destroyed," Bashary said.

The government intentionally withheld the information regarding the attacks because it was wary that fears of assaults could jeopardize the jirga, he said.

One suspect was arrested inside the jirga tent, he said, but declined to provide more information on how he managed to enter the heavily fortified site protected by thousands of forces. The arrested men led security forces to another two militants hiding in the city.

The other group of militants - including three fighters from Pakistan, Tajikistan and Russia - were arrested three days before the conference day, while the last group, including nine men, was arrested as they entered Kabul city.

"The nine militants, who planned to attack the jirga, were equipped with rockets and suicide vests," Bashary said.

The Taliban attacks on the first day of the jirga did not stop the conference, but it sent a clear message that the militants were not interested in peace talks. The insurgents say they would not enter into any negotiations until the US-led troops leave Afghanistan.

The jirga ended on Friday with a declaration that called on the Afghan government and insurgents to begin peace talks and avoid any pre-conditions that could be obstacles before the negotiations.

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