Afghan MP wants troops out

From the Globe and Mail's coverage of the memorial for the Afghan MPs killed in last week's suicide bombing:

"We're very sorry the international community cannot provide security," said Sediqa Balkhi, a member of the upper chamber of parliament. "The troops should leave, and let us take care of this." (link)

Update on Baghlan suicide bombing
Tuesday's huge suicide bombing reportedly killed at least 75 people including several MPs and 59 children and injured some 80 others. A Taliban spokesperson has denied that group's involvement - a denial to be taken with a grain of salt, needless to say.

Some reports have surfaced that Afghan security forces fired their guns wildly in the mayhem that followed the blast. Some victims may have fallen to their bullets rather than the initial blast.

Two suspects have reportedly been detained in connection with the bombing. According to Reuters, one is "a mosque prayer leader", while the other is "a resident of the industrial part of the town where the blast took place". While the efficacy of policing in Afghanistan is questionable, on first appearance it doesn't seem like the suspects are likely to have been innocents arrested for propaganda purposes. The suspects don't match the preferred narrative of the government of Afghanistan and NATO officials who tell us that the hard core of Taliban fighters come from Pakistan or yet other foreign countries.