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US Pushes for Afghan Reconciliation Despite Terror Strikes

Ayaz Gul

   ISLAMABAD - The United States is pressing the Afghan government and the
   Taliban insurgency to come together to bring to justice the
   perpetrators of Tuesday's deadly terrorist strikes on a hospital and a
   funeral in Afghanistan.

   U.S. peace envoy for the country, Zalmay Khalilzad, stressed Wednesday
   that cooperation between the two Afghan adversaries "is necessary" to
   deal with the "common enemy" of terrorism and work for national peace
   to tackle challenges facing the country.

   "Failure to do so leaves Afghanistan vulnerable to terrorism, perpetual
   instability & economic hardship. Now is the time to press forward on
   peace," Khalilzad tweeted Wednesday.'¯He said the cooperation is also
   "necessary" to deal with the looming threat of the coronavirus
   pandemic.

     Talib, Afghan govt cooperation against a common enemy that
     perpetrates such crimes is necessary as is cooperation on containing
     COVID. Failure to do so leaves Afghanistan vulnerable to terrorism,
     perpetual instability & economic hardship. Now is the time to press
     forward on peace
     -- U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace)
     [1]May 12, 2020

   Afghan officials confirmed Wednesday the collective death toll from the
   previous day's attacks has risen to at least 56, with women and newborn
   babies among the victims.

   The Islamic State terrorist group claimed its local affiliate, Khorasan
   Province (ISKP), carried out the suicide bombing of the funeral for a
   police commander in eastern Nangarhar province.

   No armed group took credit for Tuesday's bomb-and-gun assault on a
   maternity hospital in the Afghan capital, Kabul. The Taliban denied its
   involvement. The government-run 100-bed medical facility is supported
   by the global humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders, known
   by its French acronym MSF.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/US4AfghanPeace/status/1260336907432714240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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