Three people were killed and ten other were injured yesterday after an attack on a military parade in Kabul. The main target was the Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The parade celebrated the 16-year-mark since the overthrow of the country’s Soviet-backed rule.

Officials stated that the victims were a tribal chief, a member of the Parliament, both in the stands near Mr. Karzai, and also a 10-year-old boy who happened to be caught in the cross-fire.

The military, police and intelligence services managed to respond in due time, surround the gunmen and even capture some of them.They are now trying to find all those responsable for the incident, blaming one another for not having seen it coming.
The New York Times quoted Noor ul-Haq Uloomi, a former general who is chairman of the parliamentary security committee, as saying: “The full responsibility goes to the security ministries. It’s because they always think about the quantity, and not the quality, of the forces.” The statement came as a criticism to the fact that the attackers got very close to the president, which might even suggest an inside help.

The Taliban claimed responsability, saying that the plan was to disrupt the ceremony and also make a statement on their abilities to strike anywhere and at any time.

President Hamid Karzai has been targeted in three other assasination attempts but this is the first one that took place in the capital.

After less than an hour of the attack, the president appeared on television to reassure the Afghan people that everything was alright, that the security forces had a quick and efficient response and that everyone should remain calm and confident.