The explosive device was apparently hidden in one of the armchairs in the lounge, and the authorities believe that the UAE diplomats were the target.
Despite claiming responsibility for the terrorist attack in Kabul which claimed the lives of 50, this time the Taliban vehemently denied any involvement in the bombing, claiming that the diplomats fell victim to an ongoing power struggle within the government.
However, even though the Taliban apparently lacks the time and expertise, not to mention the inside help necessary to plant the bomb inside the lounge, it is far too early to remove them from the list of suspects.
Col. General Abdoul Hadi Khaleed, former Deputy Interior Minister of Afghanistan, told Sputnik Dari that in this case the Taliban would deny its involvement even if guilty.
"I believe that Pakistan won’t allow the Taliban to claim responsibility for this blast in order to avoid provoking the UAE, and so that the latter doesn’t officially declare Taliban its enemy. But their (Pakistan’s and Taliban’s) target has to be the UAE. Pakistani intelligence and Taliban used this blast as a warning to the UAE, basically saying that ‘we’ll get you anywhere if you don’t pay your dues’," Khaleed said.
Furthermore, he added, Taliban may claim that it lacks the means to recruit the talent necessary to conduct such a complex operation.
"There’s a war going on in Afghanistan. There’s also an ongoing power struggle, where every claimant has inside men embedded with the enemy. And then there’s the rivalry between defense and law enforcement agencies; the recent dissent between the army and the police, fortunately skillfully resolved by the government, is a fine example. In our case there were definitely moles involved, and it was the work of a high-class intelligence service. There’s only one intelligence agency in our region capable of conducting this operation so ruthlessly and professionally – the Pakistani intelligence. Others may have the skill, but they’re simply not ruthless enough," Khaleed explained.
