2007 Baghlan sugar factory bombing
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Baghlan sugar factory bombing occurred on November 6, 2007 when a bomb
exploded in the centre of Baghlan
, Afghanistan
, while a delegation of parliamentarians
was visiting, killing dozens including several lawmakers.
reports that 64 were killed while a hospital in Baghlan mentioned that 90 bodies were sent to the hospital with 50 others wounded. An Afghan television station reported that at least 100 were killed.
Six members of the Afghan parliament
were killed in the blast, including key opposition figures. The lawmakers killed in the bombing were former Commerce Minister Sayed Mustafa Kazemi
, the prominent private sector representative Hajji Muhammad Arif Zarif
, as well as Abdul Mateen, Al Hajj Sahib Al-Rahman, Nazuk Mir Sarfaraz and Sebghatullah Zaki. All six were members of the ten-member Economics Committee of the National Assembly.
It was reported that police officers, children and members of the Department of Agriculture were also killed. Other MPs were said to have been injured.
injuring several soldiers, present at the base was visiting Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay
. That incident was likely unrelated to the Baghlan bombing.
Following the bombing, a Taliban official dismissed any responsibility of the group over the incident. The attacks have worsened since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
One person was arrested and questioned on the following day. According to the BBC
, several claims told that it was not a suicide attack and that it was possible a roadside bomb or a rocket attacks.
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
exploded in the centre of Baghlan
Baghlan
Baghlan is a city in northern Afghanistan, in the eponymous province, Baghlan Province. It is located three miles east of the Kunduz River, 35 miles south of Khanabad, and about 1,700 metres above sea level in the northern Hindu Kush...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, while a delegation of parliamentarians
National Assembly of Afghanistan
The National Assembly is Afghanistan's national legislature. It is a bicameral body, comprising two chambers:*Wolesi Jirga or the House of the People: the 250-member lower house.*Meshrano Jirga ) or the House of Elders: an upper house with 102 seats....
was visiting, killing dozens including several lawmakers.
The event
A ceremony was being held to re-open a sugar factory as part of a plan to improve and build the economy in the northeastern Baghlan province. Large groups of people, including children and elderly people were lined up to assist in the inauguration of the facility. It is widely believed that the blast was caused by a bomb full of ball-bearings. It is unlikely that a suicide attacker could cause such a massive carnage.Fatalities
At least 75 people (among them 59 children) were killed or wounded severely in the massive bombing; the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reports that 64 were killed while a hospital in Baghlan mentioned that 90 bodies were sent to the hospital with 50 others wounded. An Afghan television station reported that at least 100 were killed.
Six members of the Afghan parliament
National Assembly of Afghanistan
The National Assembly is Afghanistan's national legislature. It is a bicameral body, comprising two chambers:*Wolesi Jirga or the House of the People: the 250-member lower house.*Meshrano Jirga ) or the House of Elders: an upper house with 102 seats....
were killed in the blast, including key opposition figures. The lawmakers killed in the bombing were former Commerce Minister Sayed Mustafa Kazemi
Sayed Mustafa Kazemi
Sayed Mustafa Kazemi from Parwan was a prominent Afghan politician. He was one of the leaders and the spokesmen for the opposition movement known as the United National Front. He was a former minister of commerce in the Afghan Transitional Government...
, the prominent private sector representative Hajji Muhammad Arif Zarif
Hajji Muhammad Arif Zarif
Hajji Muhammad Arif Zarif was a prominent Afghan politician and businessman. He graduated from Afghanistan's military academy...
, as well as Abdul Mateen, Al Hajj Sahib Al-Rahman, Nazuk Mir Sarfaraz and Sebghatullah Zaki. All six were members of the ten-member Economics Committee of the National Assembly.
It was reported that police officers, children and members of the Department of Agriculture were also killed. Other MPs were said to have been injured.
Responsibility
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast but there have been about 120 suicide attacks in Afghanistan in 2007, most of them blamed on the Taliban movement. A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry blamed the attack on "the enemy of Afghanistan, the enemy of the people of Afghanistan" referring to the militant group. On the same day of the Baghlan bombings, Taliban rockets were fired at an Afghan base near KandaharKandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
injuring several soldiers, present at the base was visiting Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP is a lawyer and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for Central Nova and currently serves as Minister of National Defence in the Cabinet of Canada....
. That incident was likely unrelated to the Baghlan bombing.
Following the bombing, a Taliban official dismissed any responsibility of the group over the incident. The attacks have worsened since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
One person was arrested and questioned on the following day. According to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, several claims told that it was not a suicide attack and that it was possible a roadside bomb or a rocket attacks.
Reactions
- Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Baghlan explosion "was not conducted by the Taliban".
- Afghan president Hamid KarzaiHamid KarzaiHamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
had immediately condemned the attacks in a statement: "This heinous act of terrorism is against Islam and humanity and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. It is the work of the enemies of peace and security in Afghanistan". He announced three days of national mourning - Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said on Wednesday that targeting innocent people and members of the Afghan Parliament run counter to the Islamic teachings and human values.
- Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay met with Karzai on November 7 to discuss about the ongoing deterioration of the situation. MacKay commented: "Yes, this is an undeniable tragedy and one that has shocked many. And yet this is not going to deter the Afghan people on their road to a stable, democratic, fully functioning society."
- In a statement issued on the same day United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
President George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
called the act as "despicable act of cowardice" that "reminds us who the enemy is -- extremists with evil in their hearts" and added that the White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
will be committed on working with the government of Afghanistan and NATO allies to fight the terrorists who use murder to advance their hateful ideology"