Blast kills former Afghanistan President Rabbani

Added by Erik West on September 20, 2011

Former Afghanistan President Burhanuddin Rabbani and several others were killed in Kabul on Tuesday in a blast that targeted Rabbani house, located in the green zone.

The blast is reported to have badly wounded Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai, a senior advisor to current Afghan president Hamid Karzai.

Rabbani was meeting with two members of the Taliban at the time of the blast, yet it remains unclear if they were involved in the bombing.

Rabbani was the head of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council, which was trying to negotiate a peaceful end to the war; however, the council has made little progress in its one-year existence.

During recent weeks, Mr. Rabbani blamed the Taliban for killing innocent Afghans in their fight with the US-led coalition in Afghanistan and for refusing to embrace peace in the region. The attack could be an indication of the Taliban’s unwillingness to discuss peace with the current government.

In an April statement the Taliban said that they would target members of the High Peace Council, of which Mr. Rabbani was the chairman.

The insurgency continues to strengthen its ability to successfully carry out attacks and target this deep inside Kabul. Insurgents launched a number of rocket-propelled grenades at the headquarters of the international military coalition and the US embassy.

Former Afghanistan President Rabbani held office preceding the Taliban and was the leader of Jamiat-e Islami, a powerful mujahideen party, from 1968 to present and during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan during the 1980s.