Deadly attack in Kubal raises Afghanistan withdrawl concerns

Wabel Abdallah, the head of the IMF's Afghanistan office and four UN foreign officials were killed in a suicide bomb and gun attack in a restaurant in Kubal.  A suicide bomber set off their explosives by a fortified gate that protected the restaurant and then two gunman went inside and fired their weapons. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for this attack. This area is popular for foreign diplomats to dine and this restaurant in particular is close to various embassies including those of the U.K., Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. The Taliban has made it known that they have been targeting foreign officials. The security of Afghanistan is a huge concern with the UN and its members. A new president is supposed to be elected this April and if he is “weak” people fear that the country will fall back into the hands of the Taliban. With the UN withdrawing that last of their troops by the end of the year the U.S. is waiting on a response from Afghanistan’s current president about allowing some troops to remain in the country. The Taliban states that it now has control of large parts of Afghanistan and believes that once the Western powers withdraw their forces that they can regain control over the country. Click here for the link to the article.