New Delhi: India on Saturday strongly condemned the terror attack at Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan and launched a veiled attack on Pakistan, demanding that safe havens and sanctuaries for terrorism should be dismantled.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said, “India condemns in the strongest terms the deplorable terrorist attack in Mazar-e-Sharif on 21 April resulting in loss of lives, including the brave personnel of the Afghan National Defence Forces.”
A day after a lethal Taliban assault on an army base in northern Afghanistan, an official said that at least 140 soldiers had been killed.
“Today, there was even a shortage of coffins,” said the official, Ibrahim Khairandish, a member of the provincial council in Balkh Province, where the attack occurred. Mr Khairandish said 60 soldiers had also been wounded in the attack.
The soldiers, most of them unarmed, were shot while eating lunch or emerging from a Friday Prayer service at the headquarters of the Afghan Army’s 209th Corps in Balkh by assailants in military uniforms. The Taliban had claimed responsibility for the assault.
The MEA said, “The Government and the people of India extend their deepest condolences and stand with the Government and people of Afghanistan at this difficult moment. The terrorist attack is a stark reminder of the need to immediately dismantle the safe havens and sanctuaries that support and sustain terrorism in Afghanistan. India remains steadfast in its support to Afghanistan in fighting all forms of terrorism and bringing perpetrators of terrorist violence to justice, wherever they may be.”
