Islamabad, Kabul to jointly wipe out terrorism

PM, COAS say terrorists are common enemies of both countries; solidarity expressed with Afghan security forces; death toll of Taliban attack in Mazar Sharif reaches 150

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan strongly condemned the terrorist attack on a military base in the Balkh province of Afghanistan on Friday which resulted in the loss of many precious human lives.

“We reaffirm our continued commitment to work closely with the Afghan government and the international community in the fight against the scourge of terrorism.

“We extend our heartfelt sympathies and deepest condolences to the Government and the people of Afghanistan as well as to the bereaved families and pray for early recovery of the injured,” said a press release.

Pakistan reiterates strong condemnation of terrorism in all forms and manifestations, it added.

Expressing solidarity with the people of Afghanistan on the attack and killing of Afghan soldiers in the Balkh province, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the heinous act of terrorism. 

In a statement on Saturday evening, he reaffirmed that “We stand by Afghanistan and its people in their fight against terrorism and pursuit of peace and stability.” 

He said that his government and the people of Pakistan stand in solidarity with the government of Afghanistan and the Afghan brethren in this hour of grief. 

Terrorists have struck the Balkh Province leading to the loss of the precious lives of Afghan soldiers. 

“We strongly condemn this barbaric act of terrorism. Our heart goes out to the victims of this terrorist attack. We express our heartfelt condolences with the bereaved families and pray for speedy recovery of the injured,” the prime minister said. He made it clear that terrorism was a common enemy and a threat to peace in the region. Pakistan feels the pain of Afghan brethren as ‘we have also suffered from this scourge.’ 

Meanwhile, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of the Army Staff, strongly condemned the terrorist attack at Mazar-e-Sharif city of Afghanistan. 

According to the ISPR, the army chief said he was grieved over the loss of innocent lives. He expressed solidarity with the Afghan security forces and brotherly resilient Afghan nation. Terrorists are our common enemy and we shall defeat them, he said.

According to a report from Mazar-i-Sharif, President Ashraf Ghani declared a national day of mourning after scores of soldiers were killed by the Taliban fighters disguised as fellow soldiers, in the deadliest attack of its kind on an Afghan military base.

The defence ministry has said 150 died and several others were injured in the Friday attack in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, but no exact numbers had been released.

One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least 150 soldiers were killed and many others wounded. Other officials said the toll was likely to be even higher.

The attack starkly highlighted the difficulty of the long struggle by the Afghan government and its international backers to defeat the Taliban insurgency.

After arriving in Mazar-i-Sharif to visit the base on Saturday, Ghani ordered that flags be flown at half mast on Sunday in memory of the troops who died. Ghani held an emergency meeting with senior security officials and called for a "serious" investigation into the attack. In a statement online, he condemned the attack as "cowardly" and the work of "infidels.”

As many as 10 Taliban fighters, dressed in Afghan army uniforms and driving military vehicles, made their way into the base and opened fire on mostly unarmed soldiers eating and leaving a mosque after Friday prayers, according to officials.

They used rocket-propelled grenades and rifles, and several detonated suicide vests packed with explosives, officials said.

Witnesses described a scene of confusion as soldiers were uncertain about the attackers' true identity. "It was a chaotic scene and I didn't know what to do," said one army officer wounded in the attack. "There was gunfire and explosions everywhere."

The base is the headquarters of the Afghan National Army's 209th Corps, responsible for much of northern Afghanistan, including Kunduz, a province which has seen heavy fighting.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Saturday the attack on the base was retribution for the recent killing of several senior Taliban leaders in northern Afghanistan.

The US military command in Kabul said an American air strike had killed a commander, Qari Tayib, and eight other Taliban on April 17. Mujahid said the attack on the base killed as many as 500 soldiers, including senior commanders. Four of the attackers were Taliban sympathisers who had infiltrated the army and served for some time, Mujahid said.

The Afghan army did not confirm that.

The Nato-led military coalition deploys advisers to the base to train and assist Afghan forces but coalition officials said no foreign troops had been hurt. "The attack on the 209th Corps today shows the barbaric nature of the Taliban," the commander of coalition forces, US General John Nicholson, said in a statement on Friday.

German forces have long led the international mission in northern Afghanistan. In Berlin, military officials said the work of the mission on the base would be on hold for one or two days while the Afghan army investigated the attack, but would resume. "The situation shows that we cannot stop supporting, training and advising our Afghan partners," a German Operations Command spokesman said.