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Taliban attack on judicial authorities in Afghanistan widely condemned

Xinhua, May 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

The deadly suicide attack against a bus of judges outside Afghan capital Kabul city on Wednesday which left at least 10 persons dead, has been strongly condemned.

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) termed the attack as a coward act and condemned it in its strongest term.

"Attacks against judicial authorities are cowardly and contrary to international humanitarian law," said Nicholas Haysom, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA in a statement released here.

"I unreservedly condemn today's attack, demand accountability for the perpetrators and urge authorities to do everything in their power to ensure adequate protection of judicial officials," Haysom said in the statement.

In the deadly attack for which Taliban claimed of responsibility, according to UNAMA statement, 11 civilians were killed and 10 others injured.

According to the statement, the victims include employees of the Maidan Wardak provincial court and bystanders civilians in the area, including six children.

In the statement, the UN Mission reiterates that international humanitarian law, to which all parties to the armed conflict are bound, prohibits attacks directed against civilians and the use of indiscriminate tactics, particularly suicide attacks using improvised explosive devices.

Similarly, the Afghan Interior Ministry, in a statement released here put the attack on the enemies of Afghanistan, a reference to the Taliban and strongly condemned it.

According to the statement of the Interior Ministry, 10 people were killed and four others injured in the suicide bombing and all the victims are civilians.

The attack occurred at 08:25 a.m. local time in Bagh-e-Daud locality outside Kabul against a bus that transported the judges of appellate court to Maidan Shahr, 35 km west of Kabul, the statement added.

This is the first deadly suicide bombing carried out by Taliban militants since the death of their leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor on Saturday and choosing new leader on Wednesday to lead the hardliner group.

Taliban outfit in a statement posted on its website, hours after the attack, claimed of responsibility and confirmed that a suicide bomber blew himself up next to a bus of judges killing and injuring 22 persons.

In the statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Majahid stressed that the aim of targeting judges' bus was to avenge execution of six Taliban inmates, hanged up by government in the central Pul-e-Charkhi jail early this month.

Afghan former President Hamid Karzai and the deputy to the Afghan chief executive, Mohammad Khan have also termed the attack as coward terrorist act and denounced it. Endit