The bombing of a Shia Muslim shrine in Kabul comes after foreign leaders gathered in Germany on Monday for a meeting on Afghanistan’s future and the NATO role there. Afghan President Hamid Karzai told attendees his government will need political and military support for another decade and financial backing until at least 2030. The conference took place without Pakistan, which announced a boycott following the deadly NATO raid that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers late last month. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized Pakistan’s decision.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “I think it was unfortunate that they did not participate. And I said in my prepared remarks that it would have been better if they had come. So we regretted the choice that they made, because today’s conference was an important milestone toward the kind of security and stability that is important for Pakistan, as well as for Afghanistan.”