KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An aide says the suicide bomber who killed former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani as he was trying to broker peace with the Taliban had waited in Kabul for days, insisting on meeting face-to-face with the ex-president.
Mohammad Ismail Qasemyar, the international relations adviser for Rabbani’s peace council, said on Wednesday that the bomber had approached several council officials, telling them that he was an important figure in the Taliban insurgency and would only speak directly with Rabbani.
Qasemyar says the bomber stayed at a house used for council guests, waiting for Rabbani to return from a trip to Iran.
When the two finally met, Qasemyar says the bomber bowed his head near Rabbani’s chest and detonated explosives hidden in his turban.
