Bombers kill 48 in bloody election run-up
Taliban suicide bombers killed at least 48 people and wounded dozens more in two blasts on Tuesday – one at a campaign rally for the president and the other in Kabul – with the insurgents warning of more violence ahead of elections.
The first attack saw a motorcyclist detonate a suicide bomb at a checkpoint leading to a rally where President Ashraf Ghani was addressing supporters in central Parwan province, north of the capital, killing 26 and wounding 42.
Just more than an hour later, another blast, also claimed by the Taliban, rocked central Kabul near the US embassy.
Authorities initially did not give casualty figures but later said 22 people had been killed and a further 38 wounded.
The explosions came after US President Donald Trump abruptly ended talks with the Taliban 10 days ago over a deal that would have allowed the US to begin withdrawing troops from its longest war.
In a statement claiming responsibility for both blasts, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the attack near Ghani’s rally was aimed at disrupting the September 28 polls.
“We already warned people not to attend election rallies – if they suffer any losses that is their own responsibility,” the statement said.
An image from the scene near Ghani’s rally, roughly an hour’s drive north of Kabul, showed the remains of a
One blast went off at a campaign rally for the president
burnt motorcycle, with a body on top, covered by a blanket and next to a badly damaged police car.
Women and children were among the casualties, Parwan hospital director Abdul Qasim Sangin said. The president, who was speaking to his supporters at the time of the blast, was unhurt but later condemned the attack, saying it proved the Taliban had no real interest in reconciliation.
“As the Taliban continue their crimes, they once again prove that they are not interested in peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Ghani said.
In Kabul, 60km away, a shopkeeper, Rahimullah, said he was sitting in his shop when the second blast came.
“The wave broke all the windows.
“I rushed outside and saw several bodies just across the street,” Rahimullah said.
The UN's mission in Afghanistan slammed the Taliban, accusing it of showing “despicable disregard for civilian life and [the] fundamental human right to participate in democratic process”.
The elections will see Ghani face off against his own chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, and more than a dozen other candidates, including former warlords, ex-spies and onetime members of the country's former communist regime.
Ghani is seeking a clear mandate he can use to negotiate with the Taliban on a lasting peace in Afghanistan. –