Afghanistan denies U.S. troops killer was intelligence agentOctober 16, 2012 - 12:58 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Afghanistan's security service is denying claims that the suicide bomber who killed two American troops and four Afghans in a weekend attack was a member of the country's intelligence agency, The Associated Press reports. The service's spokesman, Shafiqullah Tahiri, said Tuesday, Oct 16, the attacker wore an Afghan uniform to gain access to the intelligence headquarters in Kandahar's Maruf district. Tahiri says the attacker blew himself up as a group of NATO troops and Afghans were arriving to deliver new office furniture to the facility on Saturday. NATO and Afghan officials had said the bomber was a member of Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security. The growing number of insider attacks has raised doubts whether Afghan forces will be able to effectively control security after foreign troops depart in 2014. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture. India wants Armenia’s proposals on use of Chabahar port India is expecting proposals from Armenia regarding the use of Chabahar port in Iran, Indian ambassador says. EU welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan “progress” The EU has welcomed “progress” made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process. Belarus opposition leader slams Lukashenko for Karabakh trip Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has harshly criticized the visit of Lukashenko to Karabakh. |