Senators were informed on Tuesday that Logar's National Directorate of Security (NDS) head Jan Aman and Provincial Police Chief Sabor Nasrati were both dismissed from their positions for negligence related to the recent assassination of Governor Arsala Jamal. In addition, the two former top Logar security officials are under investigation for possible involvement in the plot that led to Jamal's death.
The Logar Governor was killed last Tuesday during an Eid prayer in a Pul-e-Alam mosque when a explosive device hidden inside a Qu'ran detonated. Eighteen other worshipers were injured in what was the first assassination of a Provincial Governor in Afghanistan since 2010. Although the Taliban denied responsibility for the attack, which garnered widespread condemnation from Islamic scholars and government officials alike, most experts concluded insurgents were involved.
The comments to the Senators on Tuesday were delivered by Minister of Interior Omar Daudzai and the acting head of the NDS, Rahmatullah Nabeel. The two men were summoned by the Upper House of Parliament in order to discuss the Jamal assassination and shed light on the ongoing investigation and measures that had been taken to improve security in Logar since the incident.
"Those involved in the assassination of the Logar Governor will be indentified and justice brought on them, we are trying to identify the masterminds and a delegation for further investigation of the incident has been sent to Logar province," said Daudzai. "We will comment on the involvement of the two security officials in the killing when the investigation is complete, and if they are found guilty they will be prosecuted."
Many suspect the bombing of the mosque Governor Jamal spoke in last Tuesday had insider involvement, in part because the day before the incident the mosque had been swept by security personnel and cleared for the Governor's event.
Nabeel told the Senators that Afghan intelligence indicated the Taliban had been looking to launch a series of attacks around the country during Eid, but the group failed to implement their plans in every province but Logar. He said ten security personnel including the NDS provincial head have been taken into custody for questioning.
"Our investigations unveiled that the explosive device was planted inside the Holy Qur'an and the Holy Qur'an was placed on the left side of the Governor, but it is not confirmed yet whether the Holy Qur'an was placed inside the mosque before the security check or after the check," explained Nabeel.
According to the two men, preliminary investigations had already provided enough evidence to dismiss the provincial NDS head and Police Chief on the grounds of negligence in the performance their duties.
Meanwhile, during the hearing, Senators highlighted the growing insecurity in various regions of the country, but particularly in Logar province.
"Every day innocent people are killed, why aren't more effective security measures formulated to prevent it?" asked Senator Gul Ahmad Azami. "The designation of security officials should be conducted according to professionalism and qualifications so that the situation is improved."
Other Senators tossed around popular conspiracy theories that have circulated since the assassination, probing in the dark for any insight from the MoI and NDS headmen.
"Two million AFG was paid to transfer the explosive device inside the mosque," said Senator Arif Pashtoon.
"It is said that the mosque's Imam was involved in the murder of the Logar Governor, this issue should be investigated and who committed the act, whether it was Pakistan, the U.S. or Taliban insurgents," said Senator Hidayatollah Rahayee.