Hamid Karzai, the 12th President of Afghanistan, was subject to several failed assassination attempts after becoming leader of Afghanistan on 20 December 2001.
Hamid Karzai, the 12th President of Afghanistan, was subject to several failed assassination attempts after becoming leader of Afghanistan on 20 December 2001.
On 5 September 2002, a young bystander leaned to say something to Hamid Karzai, who was sitting in the back of a Toyota Land Cruiser, and then all of a sudden U.S. Special Forces assigned to protect Karzai began shooting at the bystanders. [1] Those killed in the shooting were two civilians and one security personnel of Gul Agha Sherzai. The Americans gave a different account, alleging that it was an assassination attempt on Karzai and that one of its members was wounded. [2]
On 16 September 2004, a rocket missed the helicopter Karzai was flying in while en route to Gardez. The helicopter, an American Chinook, returned to Kabul. Government officials said the rocket hit almost a mile from the helicopter and questioned whether it was an assassination attempt. Some at the scene thought the explosion was celebratory. [3] Three people were reported to have been arrested by the Afghan police in Gardez in connection with the attack, by Kabul Television.
The Taliban attempted to assassinate Karzai in Ghazni where Karzai was giving a speech to elders. The Taliban fired approximately 12 rockets, some of which landed 220 yards (200 m) away from the crowd. Karzai was not hurt in the incident and was transported away from the location after finishing his speech. [4] [5] [6]
On 27 April 2008, insurgents, reportedly from the Haqqani network, [7] used automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades to attack a military parade that Karzai was attending in Kabul. [8] During the national anthem, three Taliban [9] attackers opened fire. Live television coverage of the event was cut off shortly afterward. Karzai was unhurt, but at least three people were killed, including parliamentarian Fazel Rahman Samkanai, a ten-year-old girl, Nasir Ahmad Latifi, minority leader, and ten injured. [10] [11] [12] Others attending the event included government ministers, former leaders, diplomats and the military top brass, all of whom had gathered to mark the 16th anniversary of the fall of the Afghan communist government to the mujahideen. [13]
Responding to the attack during the ceremony, the United Nations said the attackers "have shown their utter disrespect for the history and people of Afghanistan." [14] Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, stating, "We fired rockets at the scene of the celebration." He went on to say there were six Taliban at the scene and that three were killed. "Our aim was not to directly hit someone," Mujahed said when asked if the intention was to kill Karzai. "We just wanted to show to the world that we can attack anywhere we want to". [14] The ability of the attackers to get so close to Karzai suggested they had inside help. Defense minister Wardak confirmed that a police captain was connected with the group behind the assassination attempt and that an army officer supplied the weapons and ammunition used in the attack. [15]
As recently as October 2011, while Karzai was visiting India to sign an important strategic pact with Manmohan Singh, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) agents arrested six people in Kabul for allegedly planning to assassinate Karzai. Among those involved in the assassination plot were four Kabul University students and professor Dr. Aimal Habib, including one of Karzai's personal guards. [16]
On June 25, 2013, eight Taliban fighters cleared two security clearances inside the Shash Darak district of Kabul, where the Afghan presidential palace is located and began their attack. [17] They detonated multiple suicide bombs causing 14 different explosions at the palace's eastern gate, and engaging in an intense firefight with palace security guards.[ citation needed ] The attack took place near where reporters were setting up inside the palace gates for a press event where Karzai was scheduled to address the press. [18] Karzai, who was inside the palace at the time, was not injured. [19] The explosions and firefight resulted in the deaths of three Afghan security guards and all of the Taliban fighters. [20]
Hamid Karzai is an Afghan politician who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from December 2004 to September 2014. He previously served as Chairman of the Afghan Interim Administration from December 2001 to July 2002. He is the chief (khān) of the Popalzai Durrani tribe of Pashtuns in Kandahar Province.
Paktia is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly 623,000, which is mostly a tribal society living in rural areas. Pashtuns make up the majority of the population and a small percentage include Tajiks. Gardez is the provincial capital. The traditional food in Paktia is known as (dandakai) which is made from rice and mung bean or green gram.
The Taliban insurgency began after the group's fall from power during the 2001 War in Afghanistan. The Taliban forces fought against the Afghan government, led by President Hamid Karzai, and later by President Ashraf Ghani, and against a US-led coalition of forces that has included all members of NATO; the 2021 Taliban offensive resulted in the collapse of the government of Ashraf Ghani. The private sector in Pakistan extends financial aid to the Taliban, contributing to their financial sustenance.
Asadullah Khalid is a politician in Afghanistan. He served as head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), which is the domestic intelligence agency of Afghanistan. Before his appointment as the head of the NDS in September 2012, Khalid served as the Minister of Tribal and Border Affairs. Between 2005 and 2008, he was the Governor of Kandahar Province and prior to that as Governor of Ghazni Province (2002-2005). From 2018 until 2021 he was the Minister of Defense. Khalid is said to be affiliated with the Islamic Dawah Organisation of Afghanistan and has been noted as one of many loyalists of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Pacha Khan Zadran is a militia leader and a politician in the southeast of Afghanistan. He was a former anti-Soviet fighter and militia leader who played a role in driving the Taliban from Paktia Province in the 2001 invasion, with American backing. He subsequently assumed the governorship of the province. In 2002, he engaged in a violent conflict with rival tribal leaders in the province over the governorship of the province, shelling Gardez City and obstructing two separate appointed governors sent by Hamid Karzai.
Sirajuddin Haqqani is an Afghan warlord and Specially Designated Global Terrorist who is the first deputy leader of Afghanistan and the acting interior minister in the internationally unrecognized post-2021 Taliban regime. He has been a deputy leader of the Taliban since 2015, and was additionally appointed to his ministerial role after the 2021 withdrawal of foreign troops. He has led the Haqqani network, a semi-autonomous paramilitary arm of the Taliban, since inheriting it from his father in 2018, and has primarily had military responsibilities within the Taliban.
The following lists events that happened during 2002 in Afghanistan.
The following lists events that happened during 2004 in Afghanistan.
Events from the year 2007 in Afghanistan.
The Haqqani network is an Afghan Islamist group, built around the family of the same name, that has used asymmetric warfare in Afghanistan to fight against Soviet forces in the 1980s, and US-led NATO forces and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan government in the 21st century. It is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United Nations. It is considered to be a "semi-autonomous" offshoot of the Taliban. It has been most active in eastern Afghanistan and across the border in north-west Pakistan.
Events from the year 2008 in Afghanistan.
The Karzai administration was the government of Afghanistan under President Hamid Karzai, who became the head of state of Afghanistan in December 2001 after the Taliban government was overthrown. Karzai was appointed at the 2002 Loya Jirga as the Interim President of the Afghan Transitional Administration. After the 2004 Afghan presidential election, he became the President of Afghanistan.
Events from the year 2011 in Afghanistan.
2003 in Afghanistan. A list of notable incidents in Afghanistan during 2003
The April 2012 Afghanistan attacks took place on Sunday, 15 April 2012, at around 13:00 local time when heavily armed Taliban insurgents and suicide bombers launched multiple coordinated attacks throughout Afghanistan. Insurgents launched the 2012 spring offensive on multiple locations, including government buildings, military bases, and embassies. Attacks occurred in four Afghan provinces, including Kabul and Paktia. Different reports attribute responsibility for the attacks to either Taliban or the Haqqani network although the Taliban have claimed responsibility.
The 2013 Afghan presidential palace attack occurred on 25 June 2013, in a highly secure zone of Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan.
The following lists events from 2014 in Afghanistan.
The following lists events that happened in 2013 in Afghanistan.
On 28 June 2011, a group of nine gunmen and suicide bombers attacked the Inter-Continental Hotel, Kabul. The attack and an ensuing five-hour siege left at least 21 people dead, including all nine attackers. Responsibility was claimed by the Taliban.
The 201 Khalid Ibn Walid Corps is one of the eight corps of the Islamic Emirate Army established in October 2021 and headquartered in Laghman. The current Chief of Staff is Abdul Rahman Mansoori.
ceremony to mark the 16th anniversary of Afghanistan's victory over the Soviet invasion
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