KABUL - The US State Department said Monday ISIS (Daesh) could possibly have been behind the deadly school bombing in Kabul that left over 80 people, mostly schoolgirls, dead.
In a press briefing, the department’s spokesman Ned Price said there are some indications that Daesh was behind the attack.
“We are still looking into what or who is responsible, but I would note that ISIS has been responsible for similar attacks on Shia communities in Kabul in the past,” he said.
“We note the Taliban has denied involvement in the attack, and we welcome their announcement of a three-day ceasefire over the upcoming Eid holiday.
“We call on the Taliban and Afghan leaders to engage seriously in the ongoing peace process to ensure the Afghan people enjoy a future free of terrorism and of senseless violence,” he said.
“Our commitment to these people, to these individuals will continue, and we are doing all we can to process them as expeditiously as we can,” he said.
“We all know that a return to violence would be senseless as well as tragic. We remind the Taliban that engaging in violence will not afford it legitimacy or durability. That has been our point all along. Engaging in serious negotiations to determine a political roadmap for Afghanistan’s future that leads to a just and durable settlement will,” he said.
He said it was in no one’s interest for Afghanistan to once again devolve into civil war. “It’s not in the Taliban’s interests, it’s not in the Government of Afghanistan’s interests, it’s not in the interests of Afghanistan’s neighbors, and it’s certainly not in the interests of the people of Afghanistan.” (ATN)