KABUL: Afghanistan Tuesday offered condolences to the family of a
Pakistani rebel tribal chief killed in a military operation in the
neighboring southwestern province of Baluchistan.
The death of Nawab Akbar Bugti on the weekend in
the restive Pakistani province, that borders Afghanistan, triggered
days of riots by angry supporters. “We regret his death and
we offer our condolences to the family of late Bugti,” said a
spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Speaking at a press conference, spokesman
Mohammad Karim Rahimi described Bugti as an “influential, famous
Baluch tribal leader.”
Bugti was killed in a military assault on a
mountain hideout on Saturday. Supporters in Baluchistan set ablaze
several buildings and exploded homemade bombs in the provincial
capital Tuesday after his funeral prayers.
Bugti, an ethnic Baluch, who was in his
eighties, was a controversial but powerful figure who dominated
Baluch politics for decades.
He led a campaign for greater Baluch control
over the region’s gas resources. The insurgency has left hundreds
of people dead since 2004.
--AFP
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