Holbrooke apologises to India for Kabul attack remark

New Delhi: In a dramatic turnaround by the US, a top official apologised to India on Friday for saying that Indians were not the target of last week's Kabul terror attack.

US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke had said Thursday that the Indians were not specifically targeted in the Kabul terror attack. He apologised for his statement on Friday.

The Thursday statement had caught New Delhi and Kabul by surprise, especially since Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai had already said the February 26 attack was on Indians.

An apologetic Richard Holbroooke said, "I regret any misunderstanding caused by my comments on the recent terrorist attack in Kabul, which claimed the lives of six Indians. And, at least 10 citizens of other nations. I did not say Indians were not target, but that initially it looked like the target was not on an official Indian facility."