A high-level Afghan delegation arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday and is expected to hold talks with Pakistani officials today about cooperation between the two countries, according to the Foreign Office (FO).
FO Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said that the delegation, comprising Afghan Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak and National Directorate of Security chief Masoom Stanekzai, was to visit Islamabad with a message from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and will hold discussions about cooperation.
Afghan news service Tolo News reported, citing a presidential palace source, that the delegation is to hand over evidence to Pakistan regarding the recent attacks in Kabul. The evidence will be shared with the Pakistan army, the source claimed, without providing further details.
The report, citing the same source, claimed that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had telephoned President Ghani to offer his condolences.
However, the claim was rubbished by Afghan envoy Omar Zakhilwal, who said: "Not true ─ no phone call has taken place. Following recent horrific terrorist attacks in Kabul, PM Abbasi conveyed a message to President Ghani", the response to which was a meeting between the delegation and the premier in Islamabad.
At least 11 Afghan soldiers were killed in an attack on a military compound in Kabul on Jan 29 claimed by the militant Islamic State (IS) group ─ the third major assault in the Afghan capital in recent days.
On Jan 27 a Taliban suicide attacker driving an explosives-packed ambulance blew it up in a crowded area of the capital, killing at least 103 people — mainly civilians — and wounding 235 in one of the worst bombings in the city in recent years.
The blast was a chilling demonstration of the militants' ability to penetrate the heart of Kabul despite stepped-up security since a massive truck bomb killed some 150 people and wounded hundreds last May.
The government has blamed Saturday's attack, which was followed by a national day of mourning, on the Haqqani Network.
IS fighters also attacked Save the Children's office in Afghanistan's east on Jan 24. Five people were killed and 26 wounded while the organisation was forced to suspend operations across the country.
On January 20, Taliban fighters stormed Kabul's landmark Intercontinental hotel and killed at least 25 people, the majority of them foreigners, in an assault lasting more than 12 hours.
But there is still confusion over the true toll from that attack, with conflicting figures given by officials and Afghan media reporting higher numbers.
Kabul remains on high alert as the city braces for further violence. Security warnings have been sent to foreigners in recent days, cautioning that IS militants are planning to attack supermarkets, hotels and shops frequented by foreigners.
Several foreign organisations, including humanitarian groups, are reassessing their operations after the spate of deadly violence.
