Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned an Islamic State attack that killed at least two dozen people in Afghanistan Wednesday, but stood by his announcement to cut $1 billion in aid to the U.S.-backed government in Kabul.
The Trump administration will “continue to evaluate” what the U.S. military’s force posture should be going forward, Mr. Pompeo said, despite growing concern that terrorist actors are exploiting political disarray in the Afghan capital.
Wednesday’s Islamic State attack came two days after Mr. Pompeo flew to Kabul to try and staunch division in the U.S.-backed government there that has threatened to undermine the administration’s plan to withdraw American troops.
The extremist outfit “ISIS-K” claimed responsibility after a lone gunman rampaged through a Sikh house of worship in the heart of the Afghan capital, killing 25 worshippers and wounding eight. The Associated Press reported the gunman held many of worshippers hostage for several hours as Afghan special forces, helped by international troops, tried to clear the building. At least one of the dead was a child.
Afghanistan’s interior ministry said the gunman lobbed grenades and fired his automatic rifle into the crowd as the siege ended with Afghan special forces rescuing at least 80 worshippers trapped inside the Sikh house of worship, known as a Gurdwara.
The SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks militant postings and groups, said the Islamic State claimed responsibility via its Aamaq media arm. An Aaamaq communique identified the gunman as Indian national Abu Khalid al-Hindi, saying he carried out the attack to avenge the plight of Muslims living under severe restrictions in Indian-ruled Kashmir, Hindu India’s only Muslim dominated state.
Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib condemned the attack in a tweet while neighboring Pakistan and India both also issued statements of condemnation. Pakistan described the attack as “heinous,” while India said it was particularly egregious coming as Afghanistan sought to deal with the growing coronavirus pandemic.
As news of the attack broke Wednesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed tweeted that no Taliban fighters were involved. The Islamist militant group that has fought U.S., Afghan government and international security forces for nearly 20 years is now struggling to contain and confront Islamic State extremists in Afghanistan.
It remains to be seen how a recent wave of ISIS violence will impact a delicate, U.S.-led peace process in the country. The crux of an initial peace deal reached last month between U.S. officials and the Taliban centered on a commitment by Taliban leaders to deny space in Afghanistan to other terror groups.
Analysts say the viability of that promise is likely to depend on the willingness of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul and the Taliban to work together to purge ISIS-K, al Qaeda and others. But such collaboration has yet to occur, as talks between the Taliban and the Kabul government have gone nowhere amid political infighting between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his chief rival Abdullah Abdullah, both of whom claim to be the country’s president.
Mr. Pompeo flew to Kabul Monday to meet with Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah. But after the two refused to reconcile and create a united front for talks with the Taliban, the secretary of state announced the U.S. will cut $1 billion in funding for the Afghan government.
“I’ll be honest, it was very frustrating,” Mr. Pompeo said in a webcast press conference with a small group of reporters gathered at State Department headquarters Wednesday.
Under the initial U.S.-Taliban peace deal reached last month, the Trump administration said American troop levels in Afghanistan would be cut from current levels of between 12,000 and 13,000 to about 8,600 in the next several months.
Asked Wednesday whether that plan remains in place, Mr. Pompeo said that with regard to “the U.S. force posture there, we’ve made clear to all our partners, we are going to continue to evaluate that as we move forward.”
“We have commitments,” he said. “As we execute this plan, we will watch the conditions.”
“Despite the country’s political challenges, the ongoing Afghan peace process remains the primary opportunity for Afghans to come together to negotiate a political settlement and build a unified front against the menace of ISIS-K,” Mr. Pompeo said.
He added that the Taliban, as well as the Ghani and Abdullah political camps, all understand “that this isn’t going to be resolved on the ground with guns and mortars.”
“This is going to be resolved through a political process and it is time for that political process to begin [with] all the Afghans coming together around the table,” Mr. Pompeo said. “I’m still optimistic that we can get there. Time is of the essence.”
— Wire services were used in this report.
• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.
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