World leaders condemn killing of Afghan peacebroker

World leaders condemn killing of Afghan peacebroker

NEW YORK, Sept 21 (BSS/AFP) - World leaders condemned the
assassination Tuesday of Afghan peacebroker and ex-president
Burhanuddin Rabbani, saying the Taliban would not prevail despite
a series of devastating high-profile attacks.

A suicide bomber posing as an emissary for the insurgents
used explosives concealed in a turban to kill Rabbani, head of
Afghanistan's High Peace Council that was leading peace efforts
with the Taliban, at his home in Kabul.

US President Barack Obama offered condolences for Rabbani's
"tragic loss" as he met Afghan President Hamid Karzai in New
York, hours after the killing that the American leader described
as "a senseless act of violence."

Karzai insisted the peace process would not be derailed by
the death, the highest-profile political assassination in
Afghanistan since a US-led invasion in 2001 ousted the Taliban
from power.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who like Obama was in
New York for meetings in the build up to the United Nations
General Assembly, condemned Rabbani's killing "in the strongest
terms."

"We will support the Afghan government as they pursue the
ones responsible for this cowardly attack and bring them to
justice. And we will continue to increase pressure on Al-Qaeda
and the Taliban," the top US diplomat said.

"The Afghan people will not be deterred from pursuing a more
peaceful, democratic future for their country and we will
continue to stand with them and support their efforts," Clinton
added.

A statement from French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office
said Rabbani's killing, one week after the Taliban brazenly
targeted the US embassy in Kabul and the headquarters of foreign
troops, killing at least 14 people during a 19- hour siege, was a
"terrorist act of unbearable cowardice."

"The terrorists killed a man of peace, who worked with
determination for the reconciliation of Afghans," Sarkozy said,
adding that France would "fight the scourge of terrorism
relentlessly" in Afghanistan.

British Foreign Minister William Hague said Rabbani, who
served as president of Afghanistan from 1992 to 1996, had worked
tirelessly for peace and a secure future for the war-wracked
country.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, who was due in New
York, said in a statement he was "absolutely appalled" by the
assassination of Rabbani.

While world leaders said Rabbani's death would not derail
peace efforts, the US military said the attack signaled that the
Taliban was changing tactics by moving off the battlefield to go
after high-profile targets elsewhere.

"Strategically, they're significant," said Admiral Mike
Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, referring to a
series of Taliban suicide bombings over the summer that killed,
among others, President Karzai's half brother.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, speaking at the same press
briefing in Washington, said the assassination tactic was a
"concern" and US commanders were working with Afghan forces to
try to thwart the Taliban.

"The bottom line still remains that we are moving in the
right direction," Panetta added.

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