Russia renews security pledge to Kabul following attack
July 24, 2016, 5:03 am

Thousands of members of the Hazara Shia minority were protesting over a new power line in Kabul when twin explosions tore through the demonstrations on 23 July 2016 [Xinhua]

“Brazil condemns the attack in Kabul and expresses solidarity with the families of the victims, the people and government of Afghanistan,” said a Brazilian Foreign Ministry statement.

Daesh (Islamic State) group has claimed responsibility for the killings.

Russia condemned the attack and renewed pledges of security assistance to Kabul.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his “readiness for a most active cooperation with Afghanistan’s authorities and people in the fight against all forms of terrorism”, a Kremlin statement said.

The Kremlin is concerned Afghanistan might turn into a new hotspot amidst the end of NATO combat missions and the gradual withdrawal of US troops.

Moscow is in talks with the Ashraf Ghani government to supply combat helicopters.

Russia has already sent 10,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles and millions of rounds of ammunition to Afghanistan.

On Saturday, President Ashraf Ghani declared a national day of mourning and vowed revenge.

Earlier this month, a delegation of US senators that had visited Kabul, warned that the international military mission in Afghanistan will fail if troop levels are reduced further, with potentially dangerous repercussions for the rest of the world.

An Amnesty report in May said the number of internally displaced Afghans has reached 1.2 million.

Afghanistan is in a state of political and social turmoil, with the long-standing Taliban insurgency continuing in the country, while other extremist groups have also expanded their activities.

According to the United Nations, the so-called Islamic State group has a presence in 25 of Afghanistan’s provinces, and Russia believes that the group has more than 3,000 fighters within the country. Russia has been actively training the Afghan forces since the beginning of the NATO mission and is likely to expand its outreach in the near future.

TBP and Agencies