Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai strongly criticized the US and British conduct of the war April 25, insisting in an interview that his government be given the lead in policy decisions. He reiterated claims that Afghan villagers were bearing the brunt of US-led attacks, while the Taliban/al-Qaeda were actually based across the border in US ally Pakistan. (NYT, April 26) Two days later, Karzai narrowly escaped death when assailants opened fire on his entourage in an Afghan National Day parade, celebrating 16 years since the overthrow of the country's Soviet-backed rule. Three people were killed and some 10 injured in the attack. An MP and a 10-year-old child were among the dead, officials said. Some of the assailants have been arrested, according to authorities. (BBC, April 28; Press TV, Iran, April 27)

Are we paranoid to see a possible connection here...?

See our last post on Afghanistan.