On July 15, President Hamid Karzai pardoned the young boy who was caught wearing a suicide vest to assassinate governor of Khost province.

In a gathering in the palace also attended by press, the presidential decree on the release of Rafiqullah was read by Farooq Wardak of the Office of Administration Affairs. Rafiqullah, a 14 year-old resident of South Waziristan was caught wearing an explosives-laden vest intending to kill the provincial governor.

Rafiqullah was deceived by the enemies of Islam to carry out the non-Islamic and inhumane act of suicide attack.

Rafiqullah's father said he had been unaware of his son's actions and said he sent his boy to Madrassa (Religious School) to memorize the Holy Koran.

Pardoning Rafiqullah for reasons of humanity and the fact that he was still underage and misled by the enemies of Afghanistan for a non-Islamic act, President Karzai ordered his release.

Based on the decree, an amount of 100,000 Afs was also given to the boy to travel back to Pakistan.