Kabul, May 5 : The head of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency National Directorate of Security, Amrullah Saleh has said that al Qaeda based in Pakistan were behind last week’s assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

He further said that foreign governments should put pressure on Pakistan to target militant bases within its own borders.

Unidentified gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at a state parade last Sunday, sending Karzai, his cabinet, top military officials and foreign diplomats diving for cover. Three people were shot dead before Afghan troops killed the three attackers.

Saleh said that the attackers had links with Al Qaeda in Miranshah, Pakistan’s tribal region near the border with Afghanistan, and branded the network the mastermind of the attack. This was described as the most brazen attack by the Taliban since they were driven from power in 2001.

“Al Qaeda’s role and involvement in the attack is very clear. They have bases (in Pakistan). They are supplied financially and logistically. They receive very sophisticated training ... We have always said that pressure on their bases, combined with our intelligence can destroy them,” the Daily times quoted Saleh as saying.

Indirectly referring to Pakistan, he said that there was “little and sometimes no pressure” on the militants’ training bases. (ANI)