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Afghan MP: Iran Aims to Destroy Afghanistan, Spread Chaos | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A general view of the new Afghan parliament building is seen in Kabul, Afghanistan, in this December 25, 2015 file photo. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani/Files


Kabul – Afghan Parliamentarian Hajj Mulawi Terh Kheil Mohammadi said that neighboring powers, including Iran and Pakistan, were interfering in his country’s internal affairs.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper at his residence in Kabul, Mohammadi said that a tripartite meeting held between Russia, Iran and Pakistan in Moscow has featured talks on the situation in Afghanistan, although his country was not present at the meeting.

The Afghan parliamentarian took heavy security measures at the entrance of his residence, including checkpoints and armed convoys, due to many threats against him, as he says.

He noted that Iran was interfering in all forms in Afghanistan’s affairs.

“All forms of interference are present; they do everything to destroy Afghanistan and spread chaos,” he stated.

Mohammadi said that foreign forces have seized Iranian-made weapons with militants in some Afghan areas, adding that the head of the Afghan Intelligence has travelled to Tehran for this purpose and objected to this blatant interference.

Mohammadi expressed concerns over confessional influence in his county’s educational, media and cultural sectors. He said that a massive explosion has hit a major university for Quran and Islamic studies, which attracts more than 4,500 students, leaving several people killed and many others injured.

He said that explosions in Afghanistan were aimed at destabilizing the country and stirring divisions among its people.

Deadly attacks ripped across Afghanistan on Tuesday, with two suicide bombings near the Afghan Parliament in Kabul, an explosion at a Kandahar province government compound and a suicide bombing in Helmand province — strikes leaving dozens of people dead and wounded, according to Afghan officials.

Five Emirati humanitarian workers were also among those killed in the Kandahar attack, the official Emirati news agency WAM reported.

Asked whether Iran or pro-Iranian groups have claimed responsibility of the explosions that ripped through Afghanistan, Mohammadi said: “Iran did not assert its responsibility of the university explosion, but all indications point to it.”

Commenting on the presence of sectarian divisions within Parliament, Mohammadi said that some deputies were working on confessional agendas, noting in this regard that several MPs have attempted to prevent the issuance of a statement that denounces a ballistic missile attack on holy sites in Mecca last year.

Mohammadi said that the Iranian government was “directly and generously” supporting Shiite and sectarian groups in Afghanistan at all levels. He added that the Persian State had a major influence over a university and several media outlets.

“Some deputies are working against the interests of the country and the Afghan people,” he noted, adding that some internal parties had confessional and sectarian agendas.

Asked about divisions within the Afghan parliament, Mohammadi said that the parliament was formed of different groups, adding that several parties were trying to meddle with its affairs.

“We live under delicate circumstances, whether on the security level or the political and economic levels,” the MP said, adding that conflicts between the government and parliament would not allow for a healthy management of the country’s affairs.