Al-Qaeda Involved in Karzai Shooting Plot: Kabul

The Afghan government today implicated al-Qaeda in the botched Sunday shooting attempt on President Hamid Karzai, the New York Times reports. Security forces captured or killed several suspects linked to the assassination plot. Among them was a man with links to militant commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, who is based in Pakistan’s border regions and has ties to al-Qaeda.

The government claims the links imply a new level of cooperation between the Pakistani-based al-Qaeda command and Taliban militants in Afghanistan. “Once again our country was attacked from Pakistani soil,” Afghanistan's security chief said. “This is clear like the sun, and we have all the evidence to show that.” The US, however, urged caution, pending more evidence of explicit coordination. (More mujahedeen stories.)