Taliban Kill 26 Near Afghan Rally — President Unhurt

KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 26 people and wounded dozens near a campaign rally for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday, and warned of more violence before the elections.

About an hour after the attack, another blast also claimed by the Taliban rocked central Kabul near the U.S. Embassy.

It was not immediately clear whether the second blast claimed any lives, but a reporter at nearby Wazir Akbar Khan hospital saw around a dozen wounded victims, and a witness said he had seen bodies in the street.

The explosions came after President Donald Trump ended talks with the Taliban on Sept. 10 on a deal that would have allowed the United States to begin withdrawing troops from its longest war.

In a statement claiming responsibility for both blasts, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the attack near Ghani's rally was aimed at disrupting the Sept. 28 elections.

"We already warned people not to attend election rallies, if they suffer any losses that is their own responsibility," the statement said.

The bomber near Ghani's rally — in Parwan province, about an hour's drive north of Kabul — had been on a motorbike and detonated his device at a checkpoint leading to the event, according to interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi.

An Agence France-Presse image from the scene showed the remains of a burned motorcycle with a body on top covered by a blanket, next to a badly damaged police car.

Women and children were among the causalities, Parwan hospital director Abdul Qasim Sangin said, adding that 42 people were injured as well as the 26 dead.

The president, who was speaking to his supporters, was unhurt but later condemned the attack, saying the incident 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," said Ghani in a statement.

The U.N. offices in Afghanistan also slammed the Taliban, accusing them of showing "despicable disregard for civilian life & fundamental human right to participate in democratic process".

Forty miles away in Kabul, a shopkeeper, Rahimullah, said he had been sitting inside his shop when the second blast came.

"The wave broke all the windows," he said.

"I rushed outside and saw several bodies just across the street. This is the second time in less than a month that a blast has broken our windows. I just fixed them a week ago."

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.

For weeks, the election had been sidelined by the U.S.-Taliban talks, with many Afghans and observers expecting the vote to be canceled if a deal was reached. Even candidates did little in the way of campaigning.

But with the deal off, Ghani and his rivals have begun the race.

Ghani is seeking a clear mandate he can use to negotiate with the Taliban on a lasting peace in Afghanistan.

Trump's declaration that the U.S.-Taliban talks were "dead" spurred the Taliban to declare last week that the only other option was more fighting.

"We had two ways to end occupation in Afghanistan, one was jihad and fighting, the other was talks and negotiations," Mujahid said last week.

"If Trump wants to stop talks, we will take the first way, and they will soon regret it."

Observers have warned that the Taliban, who hope to weaken the future president, will do anything they can to upend the election.

On the first day of campaigning in July, suicide attackers and gunmen targeted the Kabul office of Ghani's running mate, Amrullah Saleh. At least 20 people died in those attacks.

Turnout in the elections is expected to be low, with experts citing fear of violence and a loss of hope among voters after widespread fraud allegations during the 2014 election.

© Agence France-Presse

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit