Foreign troops have failed to protect Afghan officials: Iran

TEHRAN, May 15 (MNA) - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast condemned on Monday the assassination of a senior Afghan peace negotiator, expressing regret over foreign forces’ failure to protect the lives of influential Afghan figures. Gunmen shot dead Maulvi Arsala Rahmani in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday, Reuters reported. Rahmani was one of the most senior members of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council set up by President Hamid Karzai two years ago to liaise with the Taliban. The Afghan peace negotiator was on his way to a meeting with lawmakers and other officials in a government-run media centre when he was killed. Mehmanparast said, “The continuation of the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan has not only not promoted security and peace in the country but also has prolonged and increased insecurity.” He added that the responsibility lies with those who do not want peace and security to be established in the war-ravaged country.