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A candidate for this month’s Afghan parliamentary elections and eight of his supporters were killed in a suicide attack at a public rally, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
Umar Zwak, spokesman for the Helmand province’s governor, told Anadolu Agency the incident took place in the provincial capital, Lashkargah, where Wolesi Jirga (lower house) candidate Saleh Mohammad Achakzai was holding the rally. In addition to the nine casualties, more than 10 people were wounded, he added.
This was the first attempt of Achakzai, a young entrepreneur, to run for parliament from this restive province of the country, the spokesman said.
The U.S. representative for Afghanistan reconciliation on Monday called on the Taliban to come up with an authorized team of negotiators for peace talks.Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan-born U.S. diplomat, made the call to reporters during his trip to the capital Kabul as part of his tour following visits to Pakistan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.After arriving on Sunday, Khalilzad met President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and discussed the prospects for an Afghan-led reconciliation process, said Ghani's office in a statement.A day earlier, the Taliban, on the occasion of the 17th anniversary of the U.S. invasion in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., renewed their call for the “occupying forces” to leave the country.According to Abdullah Abdullah, the Afghan government’s chief executive officer, this July U.S. and Taliban officials first met in Qatar to discuss laying the groundwork for peace talks.Taliban urge Afghans to boycott polls, reject peace talksTaliban kill at least ten police in central Afghanistan, officials sayAfghan forces, Taliban battle for control of highway in Ghazni province
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There has been no immediate claim of responsibility. The Taliban have warned Afghans against taking part in the polls.
In a statement, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack, saying Afghans would not allow the terrorists to undermine the democratic process.
Last week, 13 people were killed and more than 20 wounded in a similar attack in the Nangarhar province.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed concern about the level of violence in the campaigning for the Oct. 20 parliamentary polls, including intimidation and attacks on candidates, their agents, and supporters.
Nationwide campaigning for the polls is underway, with candidates holding political rallies amid grim security concerns.
The Taliban on Monday directed Afghans to boycott upcoming parliamentary elections and demanded a complete withdrawal of foreign forces as the only solution to end the 17-year-old war as they ramped up attacks in strategic provinces.The statement from the hardline Islamic militant group coincided with the visit of top U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been appointed to lead peace efforts with the Taliban.Khalilzad met President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul to strategise ways to hold Afghan-led peace talks with the Taliban, whose 1996-2001 rule was ended by U.S.-led troops."Peace is a holy process, and the U.S. government and people are united with the Afghan government and people in this process," Khalilzad was quoted by Ghani's office in a statement as saying.Khalilzad, an Afghan-born former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, joined the U.S. State Department team in September.He is scheduled to visit Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week as he seeks to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.But the Taliban, who are fighting to expel foreign forces, topple the government and restore their version of hardline Islamic law, have repeatedly rejected offers to hold peace talks or support the polls.Afghan forces, Taliban battle for control of highway in Ghazni provincePakistani religious leaders to work for Afghan peaceThe Oct. 20 vote, seen by international partners as a dry run for presidential elections next year, has been hampered by chaotic preparations, allegations of fraud and ever-present fears of militant violence.Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s main spokesman, said the United States was using the elections for the sole purpose of legitimising their presence and authority."People are given a deceptive feeling of having free right casting their votes for the malicious purpose of minimising their resentment against the foreign occupation," he said.With less than two weeks to go before the long-delayed elections, the Taliban and Islamic State have ramped up attacks across the country.The fighting has underlined the struggle security forces face as the insurgents have steadily extended their control over the countryside even though they have been unable to take and hold a major city."The real solution of the ongoing Afghan crisis lies in the complete withdrawal of all foreign occupying forces and the restoration of a pure Islamic sovereignty," said Mujahid.Western diplomats have said the fighting raises questions about the viability of the U.S. strategy to end the war, which for the past year has focused on forcing the militants, largely with more air strikes, to the negotiating table.Afghan teacher encourages children to never give upTaliban kill at least ten police in central Afghanistan, officials sayUS strategy in Afghanistan has failed: Former FM
Taliban urge Afghans to boycott polls, reject peace talks