New Delhi
5 March 2010
Stung by adverse reactions to his remarks on the Kabul attacks, US Special
Envoy on Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke said he regrets any
misunderstanding caused by them.
"I regret any misunderstanding caused by my comments[.] I did not say Indians were not
targeted, but that initially it looked like the target was not an official Indian facility. Early
reports on events like this are often unreliable, and I try not to jump to conclusions," he
said in a statement in Washington, a copy of which was made available here by the
American Embassy.
Indian media reports had quoted anonymous officials and sources here as saying that
they were surprised by Holbrooke's remarks because the Afghanistan government has
clearly said that the February 26 attacks were against Indians and that they were carried
out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e- Tayyiba (LeT).
Speaking to reporters in Washington on Wednesday, Mr Holbrooke had said: "I don't
accept the fact that this was an attack on an Indian facility[.] There were foreigners, non-
Indian foreigners hurt. It was a soft target. Let's not jump to conclusions." He added: "I
understand why everyone in Pakistan and everyone in India always focuses on the
other. But please, let's not draw a conclusion for which there's no proof."
In his latest statement, the US special envoy said: "We all know that Indian citizens
have and continue to be targeted by terrorists, including inside Afghanistan. My heart
goes out to the families of all of the victims.
"The Afghan people and international community deeply appreciate the very substantial
humanitarian and reconstruction assistance that India provides Afghanistan. The
willingness of India to take risks and make sacrifices to help Afghanistan is testament to
India's commitment global peace and prosperity and a vital part of the international
commitment to Afghanistan's future."
Seven Indians, including three Major-rank army officers, were killed and nine others,
including four army officers, injured in the attacks. Afghan President Hamid Karzai
termed it as an attack on Indians.
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