SINGAPORE: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday the killing of a top Afghan official would not fundamentally change the security situation in Kandahar province.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for Thursday’s shooting in the restive southern province that killed anti-Taliban strongman and police chief, General Abdul Raziq.
At least two other people died during the attack inside a fortified government compound in Kandahar city that targeted a high-level security meeting.
The top commander for US and NATO forces, General Scott Miller, was also present but escaped injury.
Mattis said he did not see Raziq’s death as changing things on the ground in Kandahar.
“I’ve seen the officers around him. I’ve seen the maturation of the Afghan security forces,” Mattis told reporters on the sidelines of a security summit in Singapore.
“It’s a tragic loss of a patriot for Afghanistan. But I don’t see it having a long-term effect on our area.”
The Pentagon chief said it was too early to know if the assault would hamper turnout for parliamentary elections set for October 20.
Afghan attack won’t change Kandahar security situation — US Defense chief Mattis
Afghan attack won’t change Kandahar security situation — US Defense chief Mattis
- The Taliban have claimed responsibility for Thursday’s shooting in Kandahar
- The attack killed anti-Taliban strongman and police chief General Abdul Raziq
Spain eyes full service on train tragedy line in 10 days
- The Jan. 18 disaster in the southern region of Andalusia partially shut the line linking Madrid and Seville
- “After the replacement, the whole of the Madrid-Seville line will resume service,” said Puente
MADRID: Spain aims to restart within 10 days full service on a key high-speed railway line where a collision between two trains killed 45 people, the transport minister said on Wednesday.
The January 18 disaster in the southern region of Andalusia — one of Europe’s deadliest such accidents this century — partially shut the line linking Madrid and the city of Seville as investigators cleared the wreckage and collected evidence.
“Today we have received legal permission to proceed with the replacement of the infrastructure in the section of the accident,” Transport Minister Oscar Puente wrote on X.
“Our aim is that it is completed in a timeframe of approximately 10 calendar days. After the replacement, the whole of the Madrid-Seville line will resume service,” he added.
The line was Spain’s first high-speed rail connection when it opened in 1992, with the network expanding to become the world’s second-largest after China’s and a source of national pride.
But the accident has raised doubts about the safety of rail travel in the country.
A preliminary report released last week suggested the track was cracked before a train run by private firm Iryo derailed and smashed into an oncoming service operated by state company Renfe.
