My advice for Boko Haram - Afghan President

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has advised Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria to sheath their swords.

He gave the advice when Nigeria's Ambassador to Afghanistan, Dauda Danladi presented his letters of credence in Kabul, the Afghan capital recently. He called on the Boko Haram members to lay down their arms if they are true Muslims and embrace amnesty offered by federal government noting that no religion preaches violence.

"Boko Haram should stop burning schools, Mosques, Churches in the name of Islam. You should not destroy your country if you are true Muslims. You should protect lives because in Islam if you kill one, it is as if you have killed the whole of humanity and if you save life, it is as if you have saved the whole of humanity". He said Afghans have seen the futility of violence and put behind them the ugly past and have now embraced peace through dialogue.

He recalled the activities of the Taliban's in Afghanistan saying it was externally motivated and the people were used by the Taliban's to commit suicide bombing without knowledge that they will be committing suicide. He said in most cases suicide bombers were given jackets containing bombs and on wearing it somebody who will follow them will detonate it on reaching their targets. Afghanistan First Deputy Minister of Defense, Saran Pooh-Enayatullah Nazari while receiving Ambassador Danladi advised Boko Haram members not to or emulate the Taliban's because they were supported by external forces to cause problems which made more than half a million orphans and widows in Afghanistan.

Adding that Afghanistan lost over two million people, while one million were disabled, Nazari hoped his country's experience should be a lesson to fundamentalists in Nigeria to stop any actions that will destabilize the country.

-vanguard