Afghanistan foils plot to kill Karzai

Six people have been arrested after an alleged plot to assassinate Afghan President Hamid Karzai was foiled, the interior ministry said Wednesday. "The Afghan intelligence agency has arrested a group of six people in connection with an assassination plot against the life of the president," interior ministry spokesman Siddiq Siddiqui said. The news comes following a string of assassinations of key Karzai allies. On September 20, peace envoy Burhanuddin Rabbani was killed by a turban suicide bomber at his Kabul home, throwing into turmoil Karzai's strategy for trying to talk peace to the Taliban. The Taliban have not claimed responsibility for the attack but Afghan officials claim it was carried out by a Pakistani and have accused Pakistan of refusing to cooperate in the probe into his death, a charge denied by Islamabad. Karzai's powerful brother Ahmad Wali Karzai was killed by a security guard at his home in the southern city of Kandahar in July. And senior presidential adviser Jan Mohammad was murdered less than a week later. Karzai is currently on a visit to India, where he has signed a new strategic partnership deal with New Delhi while trying to reassure Pakistan about the alliance with its historic foe. "Pakistan is a twin brother, India is a great friend. The agreement that we signed yesterday with our friend will not affect our brother," Karzai said. The Taliban, leaders of the insurgency against Karzai's government and 140,000 foreign troops stationed in the country, were not immediately contactable for comment.