The Afghan government on Thursday blamed drug smugglers — not Taliban or al-Qaida fighters — for a bomb attack on interim leader Hamid Karzai's vice presidential running mate, saying the country's landmark elections this weekend are a threat to their business.
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The attack Wednesday in the mountainous northeastern poppy-growing region of Badakhshan killed one person and wounded at least five others — including the former governor. Karzai's running mate, Ahmed Zia Massood, was unharmed. "I don't want to name anybody, but the evidence shows that it was the work of drug smugglers, because this process (the election) is against their interests," said Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali. |