Former Afghan President assassinated during peace talks

The late former President Burhanuddin Rabbani Kabul – Azam Khan Burhanuddin Rabbani, a former-Afghan president, was killed in a suicide attack on his house in Kabul on Tuesday. Rabbani had been appointed head of the High Peace Council, a body charged with reaching out to the Taliban. General Mohammad Zaher, Kabul's criminal investigations chief, said that Rabbani had been negotiating with two men on behalf of the Taliban, when an explosive hidden in one of the mens’ turbans detonated.
"The man approached Rabbani and bowed to him in what seemed to be a sign of respect. He then hugged him and detonated the explosives.”
“Rabbani was martyred and four others, including his deputy, Masoom Stanekzai, were injured".
The general added that the suicide bomber was not searched before entering the house as he had been escorted by a highly-trusted ally.
President Karzai cut his trip to the United Nations summit in New York short after hearing of the assassination.
Karzai called on Afghans to remain unified in the face of Rabbani's "martyrdom".
An emergency cabinet meeting was scheduled for Wednesday.
Prior to leaving New York, Karzai met with Obama to hold talks hold talks over the transfer of security to Afghan forces.
Obama called Rabbani's death a "tragic loss".
"I think we both believe that despite this incident, we will not be deterred from creating a path whereby Afghans can live in freedom and safety and security and prosperity”, Obama said.
Rabbani became President of Afghanistan in the 1990s following the Soviet withdrawal. He was forced to flee Kabul when the Taliban overran the capital in 1996, and later served as the head of the Northern Alliance.
Rabbani’s death marks a huge blow to the peace negotiations.
The suicide attack came as Karzai travelled to New York to prove that Afghanistan is ready to take on greater responsibility for security after the beginning of the NATO withdrawal.
Just last week, suicide fighters launched a multi-pronged attack in Kabul, firing rockets towards the US and other embassies and NATO’s HQ, which lasted for 20 hours.
Washington blames the Haqqani Network, one of the most feared Taliban-linked groups in Afghanistan, for last week's attack on the US embassy and other targets in Kabul.
In a statement on Rabbani’s assassination, the US Embassy said that the Taliban does “not appreciate the role Rabbani played in trying to bring peace to Afghanistan,” adding that the incident has made them even more determined to work with the Afghan government to put a stop to tense relations and to bring peace and prosperity to Afghanistan.
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday condemned an attack in Afghanistan that killed the head of the country's peace council and vowed that the alliance would not leave before completing its mission. The commander of U.S. Joint Forces with NATO in Afghanistan, General John Allen said that the coalition led by the US will continue to achieve peace, and accused the Taliban of wanting to cause war and not achieve peace.
The Pakistani leadership was the first to condemn the attack, where the statement issued by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, said that the Pakistani leadership sends its condolences to the Afghan people. While the political analyst Haroun Mir described Rabbani’s killing as a great loss to the country and a setback to the peace process. He said that this represents a clear and very strong message that at least one group within the Taliban rejects the peace process.
Rabbani was an unusual choice as leader of the Peace Council, but was assigned through mediation between the Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Pashtun leaders, and the Taliban, which derives its power from the Pashtun committees.
Mir believes that Rabbani was chosen by Karzai because of his desire to include all parties in the negotiations, because peace would not be achieved with the Pashtun leaders alone.
US officials have also started back-channel talks with Taliban leaders to develop basic conditions for the establishment of formal talks. These talks have produced little effect to date, and it is doubtful as to whether they will continue.