Kabul attack: Govt convinced about LeT involvement

As investigations into last week's attack on Indians here gain momentum, Afghan authorities are increasingly getting convinced that the terror strike was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba in collusion with its masters in Pakistan.

Progress of probe into the February attack was one of the key issues that National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon discussed with President Hamid Karzai, his counterpart Rangin Dadfar Spanta and Foreign Minister Zalmai Rasoul during his two-day visit here that concluded on Saturday.

During the discussions, the Afghan authorities provided details of probe into the incident in which seven Indians, including three Major rank Army officers, were killed and nine others, including four army officers, injured.Menon was told that the probe is progressing well but is yet to be completed, sources said.

The Afghan authorities are convinced that the attack was carried out by LeT, saying there were "clear signatures" of the Pakistan-based outfit whose sworn agenda is to target Indian interests.

They also hinted at involvement of LeT's masters in Pakistan, possibly the ISI, the sources said.According to the Afghan authorities, Taliban, which reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, was not even aware of the strike for a long time, the sources said.

In the attack, about six to eight terrorists carried out an explosion and then stormed two adjacent hotels -- Park Residence and Noor Guest House -- where Indians engaged in Afghan reconstruction work were staying