KABUL - President Karzai's First Vice President, Muhammad Younus Qanooni, strongly criticizes the government's policy toward the Taliban, stating that the released Taliban commanders have returned to insurgency and contributed to rising insecurities in the country.

"I am against the release of those who kill the people of Afghanistan," Qanooni stated. "We knew that when they are released from prison, they would return to the battle fields and commit more crimes."

While visiting a number of people wounded in the attack on a bazaar in Urgoon district of Paktika province, Qanooni asserted that the Pakistani Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) and the Haqqani Network were behind the attack on district.

"As our security institutions have reported, the Haqqani network was behind the attack," Qanooni said. "They would not have been successful without the cooperation of ISI."

During his visit, Qanooni spoke with some of the 23 people in the emergency hospital.

"I was there with my father and uncle to buy some goods," Samar, a 13-year-old injured in the attack, said.

The bazaar is said to have been one of the busiest areas in the district.

"My brother and father were also there when the blast happened," Padshah, another child wounded in the incident, said.

Qanooni's statements come as the government released hundreds of Taliban prisoners this year. The released prisoners were accused of insurgency arrested by the U.S. forces after they took charge of the Bagram prison. Reports indicate that most of the released members rejoined Taliban insurgency soon after their release.

The heavy explosion on Urgoon on Tuesday resulted in the death and injury of about 200 civilians. Urgoon residents have criticized the government's inadequacy in transporting the wounded to the hospital. The residents stated that due to the lack fast transportation options such as helicopters, many of the injured lost their lives before getting to the hospital. (Tolonews)