Top Afghan peace negotiator murdered

A Taliban suicide bomber with explosives hidden in his turban yesterday assassinated Afghanistan’s former President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was leading efforts to talk peace with insurgents.

The attacker had been invited into Mr Rabbani’s Kabul home with an accomplice because it was thought they were emissaries bringing “special messages” from the Taliban. The bomb was detonated as the attacker hugged Mr Rabbani – head of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council established last year by President Hamid Karzai – in greeting.

His death is the most high-profile political assassination since the 2001 US-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power.

The High Peace Council has made little clear progress towards peace talks with the Taliban and Mr Rabbani’s assassination seems to have dealt a serious blow to its chances of doing so anytime soon.

But Mr Karzai along with the United States and other countries insisted the peace process would not be derailed.

The Afghan President called Mr Rabbani an “Afghan patriot who sacrificed his life,” adding: “This will not deter us from continuing down the path we have started.”

President Barack Obama said the killing was a “senseless act of violence” that would not crush the Afghan drive for freedom while Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen added that those behind the killing “will not prevail”.

The attackers arrived at Mr Rabbani’s house with Mohammad Massom Stanikzai, one of Mr Rabbani’s deputies, for a meeting before the turban bomber detonated his explosives, according to one source amid conflicting reports of the incident.

Kabul criminal investigations chief Mohammad Zaher said two men “negotiating with Rabbani on behalf of the Taliban” arrived at his house, one with explosives hidden in his turban.

“He approached Rabbani and detonated his explosives. Rabbani was martyred and four others including Massom Stanikzai (his deputy) were injured.”

The bomber was killed while the injured accomplice was arrested, a source close to Mr Rabbani who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

Interior ministry spokesman Siddiq Siddqui said Mr Stanikzai’s condition was “better and we hope he will recover.”