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Hekmatyar’s
Hizb-e-Islami branded Riyadh and Casablanca attacks as
“terrorist”
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By
Husbanullah Metawakel, IOL Afghanistan Correspondent
PESHAWAR,
June 26 (IslamOnline.net) - Former Afghani premier Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar’s Hizb-e-Islami party repudiated allegations it had any role
in two bombing attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco.
“We
have no whatsoever link to the terrorist attacks in Riyadh and
Casablanca,” the party said in a statement, a copy of which was
obtained by IslamOnline.net on Thursday, June 26.
In
a scratchy videocassette,
run by the Associated Press TV on June 21, a masked man, claiming to
speak on behalf of Hizb-e-Islami, Taliban and Al-Qaeda, said the Riyadh
and Casablanca
attacks in mid-May were jointly carried out by the three groups.
“We
have no member who goes by the name Abu el-Hareith Abd el-Hakim,” said
the statement, in reference to the name given by the masked man on the
tape.
“We
once again reiterate our denunciation of terrorist attacks, and consider
them a violation of the Islamic sharia and principles of humanity,”
said the statement, condemning the Riyadh and Casablanca attacks which
only “killed innocents”.
The
attacks on foreign housing compounds in Riyadh killed 26 people,
including eight Americans, while the Casablanca bombings claimed the
lives of 43 people.
“There
are no political or military treaties between Hizb-e-Islam and al-Qaeda
or Taliban,” stressed the statement.
It
also threw discredit on the AP report, arguing it was “part of an
organized media campaign against the party to undermine its repeated
calls for stability and national reconciliation as well as the
establishment of an Islamic government in Afghanistan.”
Hekmatyar,
recently designated a terrorist by the United States, shrugged off on
Sunday, February 23, links with Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
He
is also known for his staunch opposition to the U.S. military presence
in Afghanistan.
Hekmatyar
had charged the American “occupation” forces of committing heinous
crimes in Afghanistan.
‘No
Intelligence’
In
its statement, Hizb-e-Islami also denied allegations by the AP that its
correspondent obtained the video from the group’s senior intelligence
official in Pakistan.
“The
party had shut down all of its offices in neighboring Pakistan, given
they were unnecessary” it added.
Observers
had questioned the authenticity of the AP video, as the man appeared
with a face covered by a black turban, a tactic rarely used by Al-Qaeda
members and leaders who used to appear unmasked on the screen, even
those who claimed responsibility for the September 11 attacks.
When
airing the tape, CNN stressed it was unable to verify its
authenticity.
The
White House declined to comment on the video and Pakistani intelligence
officials denied any knowledge of the video.
The
United States issued
several warnings of alleged imminent attacks by Al-Qaeda group on
American targets, but they all proved to be false alarms.
