The United Arab Emirates' ambassador to Afghanistan Jumuah Mohammed Abdullah al-Kabi and other UAE diplomats were injured in an attack that took place Tuesday in Kandahar, according to a statement issued by the UAE's Foreign Ministry.

 

 "The Foreign Ministry has set up an operation room to follow up the developments of this terrorist attack," the statement read.

The statement did not say how many Emirati diplomats were wounded nor did it ention the health situation of the ambassador. It said they were there as part of a humanitarian mission.

No one has claimed responsibility on the attack yet.

Al-Kaabi first presented his credentials to Afghan authorities in June.

 

 Earlier on Tuesday, two suicide bombings near Afghanistan's parliament in Kabul killed at least 30 people and wounded 80, in an attack claimed by the Taliban.

Emirati combat troops deployed to Afghanistan after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban.</s>KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: Five UAE officials were among 56 people killed in a string of bombings across Afghan cities, authorities said Wednesday, as Taliban militants step up a deadly winter campaign of violence.

The Emiratis were among 13 people killed when explosives hidden in a sofa detonated inside the governor’s compound in southern Kandahar on Tuesday, while the UAE’s ambassador to Afghanistan escaped the attack with injuries.

Just hours before, twin Taliban blasts in Kabul tore through a parliament annexe, which houses the offices of lawmakers, killing at least 36 people and wounding around 80 others.

And earlier Tuesday, a Taliban suicide bomber killed seven people in Lashkar Gah, the capital of volatile Helmand province, as the militants ramp up nationwide attacks in frigid winter months, when fighting usually wanes.

The carnage underscores growing insecurity in Afghanistan, where US-backed forces are struggling to combat a resilient Taliban insurgency as well as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants.

Kandahar’s governor Humayun Azizi and UAE envoy Juma Mohammed Abdullah Al Kaabi were wounded by flames from the explosion, but many others were burned beyond recognition, said provincial police chief Abdul Raziq, who was present when the blast occurred.

“I was in the room, but had leave to offer my evening prayer,” Raziq said. “I heard the boom from outside and when I came back I saw people were burning.”

Raziq blamed Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Taliban-allied Haqqani network for the attack, adding they had long been plotting to eliminate Kandahar’s leadership.

“This terrorist attack happened at a time when the ambassador and a number of UAE diplomats in Afghanistan were on a trip to Kandahar to lay the foundation stone of an orphanage,” the Afghan foreign ministry said.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the bombing and ordered an investigation led by Afghanistan’s National Security Council chief Hanif Atmar.

The Taliban denied responsibility for the Kandahar attack, but said they were behind the Kabul blasts.

In the first explosion, a suicide bomber blew himself up next to a minibus transporting government employees. As rescuers reached the scene, a car bomb went off.

Among the 36 dead were four policemen who were killed in the second explosion when they rushed to help the victims of the first blast.

Afghanistan’s health ministry warned that the toll was expected to rise as many of the wounded were battling for their lives in hospital.

Condemning the “barbaric attack”, Ghani lashed out at the Taliban for the Kabul assault on civilians, which left the area littered with bloodied bodies.”Such unprincipled, unlawful and deplorable attacks cause immense human suffering and make the peace that Afghans need and deserve even more difficult to achieve,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.

Tuesday’s carnage came just ten days before Donald Trump is sworn in as US president.

The situation in Afghanistan will be an urgent matter for the new leader, even though America’s longest war got scarcely a passing mention in the bitterly contested presidential election.

Trump has given few details on his expected foreign policy, with even fewer specifics on how he will tackle the war in Afghanistan.

Repeated bids to launch peace negotiations with the Taliban have failed and a fierce new fighting season is expected to kick off in the spring.

Afghanistan last week welcomed the Pentagon’s decision to deploy some 300 US Marines to Helmand, where American forces engaged in heated combat until they pulled out in 2014.

The Marines will head to the poppy-growing province this spring to assist a NATO-led mission to train Afghan forces, in the latest sign that foreign forces are increasingly being drawn back into the worsening conflict.

NATO officially ended its combat mission in December 2014, but US forces were granted greater powers in June to strike at the insurgents as President Barack Obama vowed a more aggressive campaign. AFP</s>The United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday that five of its diplomats were killed in a bombing in southern Afghanistan the day before, one of the worst attacks to target the young nation's diplomatic corps.

The federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula said it would immediately fly the nation's flag at half-staff in honor of the dead from the attack Tuesday in Kandahar.

Meanwhile, the Taliban denied planting the bomb in the Kandahar attack, which also wounded the UAE ambassador to Afghanistan.

Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE's prime minister and vice president, said on Twitter that "there is no human, moral or religious justification for the bombing and killing of people trying to help" others.

The Kandahar attack targeted a guesthouse of provincial Gov. Homayun Azizia, who was also wounded in the assault, along with UAE Ambassador Juma Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi.

The Taliban claimed attacks earlier on Tuesday in Kabul that killed at least 38 people and wounded dozens. But on Wednesday, they issued a short statement blaming an "internal local rivalry" for the attack.

The Taliban have denied some attacks in the past that diplomats and security forces later attributed to the group. An attack inside the heavily guarded compound would represent a major breach of security, even in Afghanistan, a country long torn by war.

An earlier UAE Foreign Ministry statement said the diplomats were in Kandahar as part of a humanitarian mission.

Emirati combat troops had been sent to Afghanistan after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban. The UAE had troops for years as part of the NATO-led mission, and the Gulf federation also trained members of the Afghan armed forces. Multiple daily commercial flights link the countries, with Dubai serving as an important commercial hub for Afghan businessmen.

Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Adam Schreck in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap. His work can be found at http://apne.ws/2galNpz .</s>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday that five of its diplomats were killed in a bombing in southern Afghanistan the day before, one of the worst attacks to target the young nation's diplomatic corps.

The federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula said it would immediately fly the nation's flag at half-staff in honour of the dead from the attack Tuesday in Kandahar.

Meanwhile, the Taliban denied planting the bomb in the Kandahar attack, which also wounded the UAE ambassador to Afghanistan.

Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE's prime minister and vice-president, said on Twitter that "there is no human, moral or religious justification for the bombing and killing of people trying to help" others.

The Kandahar attack targeted a guesthouse of provincial Gov. Homayun Azizia, who was also wounded in the assault, along with UAE Ambassador Juma Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi.

The Taliban claimed attacks earlier on Tuesday in Kabul that killed at least 38 people and wounded dozens. But on Wednesday, they issued a short statement blaming an "internal local rivalry" for the attack.

The Taliban have denied some attacks in the past that diplomats and security forces later attributed to the group. An attack inside the heavily guarded compound would represent a major breach of security, even in Afghanistan, a country long torn by war.

An earlier UAE Foreign Ministry statement said the diplomats were in Kandahar as part of a humanitarian mission.

Emirati combat troops had been sent to Afghanistan after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban. The UAE had troops for years as part of the NATO-led mission, and the Gulf federation also trained members of the Afghan armed forces. Multiple daily commercial flights link the countries, with Dubai serving as an important commercial hub for Afghan businessmen.

Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Adam Schreck in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.</s>DUBAI: Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of State for Tolerance, and Ahmad Tomasz Miskiewicz, Grand Mufti of Poland and head of the Muslim Religious Association, met on Saturday in Dubai to discuss the UAE’s National Tolerance Programme and cooperation between the two countries in promoting global tolerance.

The UAE’s National Tolerance Programme is based on the values of Islam, the legacy left behind by the UAE founder, late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Emirati values, international charters, common sense and common human values.

Shaikha Lubna and Miskiewicz discussed tolerance programme’s main points, including strengthening the government’s role as an incubator of tolerance, consolidating the family’s role in nation building, promoting tolerance among youth and steering them away from extremism, enriching scientific and cultural content, and integrating international efforts to promote tolerance.

The UAE’s foreign relations are based on the national principles of mutual respect, cooperation, philanthropy and peace, Shaikha Lubna said, while stressing that Islam seeks to promote tolerance and coexistence.

The UAE pursues an approach of moderation and treats all people without discrimination, regardless of their gender,race,colour,faith,sect, social status or ethnic origin, she added.

The leadership and people of the UAE are keen on promoting tolerance and coexistence and continue to make humanitarian efforts that benefit humanity through development and charity projects.

The total number of Muslims in Poland is around 45,000 and their ancestors arrived there in the 14th century, the Polish Grand Mufti said.

He lauded the UAE’s efforts to promote the true spirit of Islam and religious moderation at regional and international levels.

The Constitution of Poland upholds the right of Muslims to practise their religion, he noted.

The Polish Grand Mufti said that Muslims settled Poland live in a peaceful manner.

Two mosques built in the 17th and 19th centuries in Poland are now part of the country’s national heritage and culture, he added.</s>The United Arab Emirates says five of its diplomats died in a bombing in Afghanistan's Kandahar that killed at least 11 people and wounded 17 others, including Juma al-Kaabi, the UAE ambassador to Afghanistan.

The official Emirati news agency, WAM, said the officials were "on a mission to carry out humanitarian, educational and development projects".

The blast, which struck the provincial governor's office during a visit by the UAE delegation, was one of a string of bombings that hit three Afghan cities on Tuesday, killing nearly 50 people and wounding 100.

Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE's prime minister and vice president, said on Twitter that "there is no human, moral or religious justification for the bombing and killing of people trying to help" others.

On the Afghan side, authorities said the dead included two politicians, a deputy governor from Kandahar and an Afghan diplomat stationed at its embassy in Washington.

The diplomats were expected to open a number of UAE-backed projects as part of an aid programme to Afghanistan.

In honour of the dead, government institutions across the UAE were directed to fly the flag at half-mast for three days.

The Taliban denied carrying out the bombing, saying the attack was a result of "internal local rivalry".

خلال زيارة سفير الدوله في كابل تم وضع حجر الاساس لدار خليفه بن زايد ال نهيان لرعاية الايتام في ولاية قندهار بحضور وزيرة العمل ووالي الولايه. pic.twitter.com/jeKYl9cxHu — UAE EMBASSY KABUL (@uaeembassykabul) January 10, 2017

Elsewhere on Tuesday, two suicide blasts claimed by the Taliban near Afghanistan's parliament in Kabul killed at least 30 people and wounded 80.

In a separate incident on the same day, a suicide bomber on foot struck in the southern Helmand province, killing at least seven people, according to officials.

The target of the attack, also claimed by the Taliban, was a guesthouse used by a provincial intelligence official in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital.

Afghanistan last week welcomed the Pentagon's decision to deploy some 300 US Marines to Helmand, where American forces engaged in heated combat until they pulled out in 2014.

The Marines will head to the poppy-growing province this spring to assist a NATO-led mission to train Afghan forces, in the latest sign that foreign forces are increasingly being drawn back into the worsening conflict.

NATO officially ended its combat mission in December 2014, but US forces were granted greater powers in June to strike armed groups as President Barack Obama vowed a more aggressive campaign.</s>The United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday that five of its diplomats were killed in a bombing in southern Afghanistan the day before, one of the worst attacks to target the young nation's diplomatic corps.

The federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula said it would immediately fly the nation's flag at half-staff in honor of the dead from the attack Tuesday in Kandahar.

Meanwhile, the Taliban denied planting the bomb in the Kandahar attack, which also wounded the UAE ambassador to Afghanistan.

Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE's prime minister and vice president, said on Twitter that "there is no human, moral or religious justification for the bombing and killing of people trying to help" others.

The Kandahar attack targeted a guesthouse of provincial Gov. Homayun Azizia, who was also wounded in the assault, along with UAE Ambassador Juma Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi.

The Taliban claimed attacks earlier on Tuesday in Kabul that killed at least 38 people and wounded dozens. But on Wednesday, they issued a short statement blaming an "internal local rivalry" for the attack.

The Taliban have denied some attacks in the past that diplomats and security forces later attributed to the group. An attack inside the heavily guarded compound would represent a major breach of security, even in Afghanistan, a country long torn by war.

An earlier UAE Foreign Ministry statement said the diplomats were in Kandahar as part of a humanitarian mission.

Emirati combat troops had been sent to Afghanistan after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban. The UAE had troops for years as part of the NATO-led mission, and the Gulf federation also trained members of the Afghan armed forces. Multiple daily commercial flights link the countries, with Dubai serving as an important commercial hub for Afghan businessmen.</s>Five UAE officials were among 56 people killed in a string of bombings across Afghan cities, authorities said Wednesday, as Taliban militants step up a deadly winter campaign of violence.

The Emiratis were among 13 people killed when explosives hidden in a sofa detonated inside the governor's compound in southern Kandahar on Tuesday, while the UAE's ambassador to Afghanistan escaped the attack with injuries.

Just hours before, twin Taliban blasts in Kabul tore through employees exiting a parliament annexe, which houses the offices of lawmakers, killing at least 36 people and wounding 80 others.

And earlier Tuesday, a Taliban suicide bomber killed seven people in Lashkar Gah, the capital of volatile Helmand province, as the militants ramp up nationwide attacks despite the onset of winter, when fighting usually wanes.

The carnage underscores growing insecurity in Afghanistan, where US-backed forces are struggling to combat a resilient Taliban insurgency as well as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants.

Kandahar's governor Humayun Azizi and UAE envoy Juma Mohammed Abdullah Al Kaabi were wounded by flames from the explosion, but many others were burned beyond recognition, said provincial police chief Abdul Raziq, who was at the scene when the blast occurred.

The Emirati officials killed were "on a mission to carry out humanitarian, educational and development projects", the UAE's official WAM news agency said on Wednesday.

"This incident will in no way affect the relations and cooperation between Afghanistan and UAE," President Ashraf Ghani said, ordering an investigation into the bombing.

The Taliban denied responsibility for the Kandahar attack, but they said they were behind the Kabul blasts.

In the first explosion, a suicide bomber blew himself up next to a minibus transporting government employees. As rescuers reached the scene, a car bomb exploded.

Among the 36 dead were four policemen who were killed in the second explosion when they rushed to help the victims of the first blast.

Health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh warned that the toll was expected to rise as many of the wounded were battling for their lives in hospital.

Condemning the "barbaric attack", Ghani lashed out at the Taliban for the assault on civilians, which left the area littered with bloodied bodies.

"The deaths of scores of civilians in today's Kabul bomb attacks indicates that the Taliban are pressing ahead with a gruesome campaign of violence that makes no effort to spare civilian lives," Amnesty International said in a statement.

"An immediate, impartial and independent investigation must be carried out to secure justice for the victims and their families."

Tuesday's carnage came just ten days before Donald Trump is sworn in as US president.

The situation in Afghanistan will be an urgent matter for the new leader, even though America's longest war got scarcely a passing mention in the bitterly contested presidential election.

Trump has given few details on his expected foreign policy, with even fewer specifics on how he will tackle the war in Afghanistan.

Repeated bids to launch peace negotiations with the Taliban have failed and a fierce new fighting season is expected to kick off in the spring.

Afghanistan last week welcomed the Pentagon's decision to deploy some 300 US Marines to Helmand, where American forces engaged in heated combat until they pulled out in 2014.

The Marines will head to the poppy-growing province this spring to assist a NATO-led mission to train Afghan forces, in the latest sign that foreign forces are increasingly being drawn back into the worsening conflict.

NATO officially ended its combat mission in December 2014, but US forces were granted greater powers in June to strike at the insurgents as President Barack Obama vowed a more aggressive campaign.</s>UNITED NATIONS, Jan 11 (APP): The United Nations has condemned

 Tuesday’s terrorist attacks near the Parliament in Kabul and the residence of the Provincial Governor of Kandahar, calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

 The UN mission in the country said that the attacks killed more than

 40 people, mainly civilians and including five diplomats from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Many others were injured, including the Kandahar Governor and the visiting UAE Ambassador.

 “Indiscriminate attacks against civilians, including diplomatic envoys, are violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and cannot be justified,” Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said in a statement issued overnight, in which the

 United Nations extended its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured while expressing its solidarity with the people and Governments of Afghanistan and of the UAE.

 According to a press release issued by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), as many as 13 civilians were killed in an explosion at the residence of the Kandahar Provincial Governor while he was hosting a dinner event for visiting diplomats and dignitaries. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

 UNAMA also said that a Taliban suicide attacker detonated his vest outside the Parliamentary Administration Compound in the Daruluman area of Kabul. Shortly afterwards, the Taliban detonated a vehicle packed with explosives on the main road near the compound, impacting a civilian bus, parliamentary staff, bystanders, security guards

 and those responding to the first attack.

 The attacks in the capital killed at least 35 people and injured more than 50. While authorities confirmed two National Directorate of Security (NDS) officials were killed and four injured, preliminary information indicates the majority of the casualties were civilians.

 The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that they were targeting the NDS. The Taliban also acknowledged that they had deliberately timed the second blast to take place as first responders attended to persons caught in the initial explosion.

 “Such unprincipled, unlawful and deplorable attacks cause immense human suffering and make the peace that Afghans need and deserve even more difficult to achieve,” Pernille Kardel, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, said.

 “Those responsible for these attacks must be held accountable,” said Ms. Kardel, who is also acting head of UNAMA.</s>Five United Arab Emirates diplomats killed in Kandahar bomb in Afghanistan on Tuesday, UAE confirmed.
At least 11 people are killed in a bombing in Kandahar, including five UAE diplomats.