Civilian dies in attack on Afghan official
Suicide bomber tries to kill High Peace Council member as protests planned for Kabul over poll fraud allegations.
A suicide bomber has launched an attack on a senior Afghan government official in western Kabul, killing one civilian and injuring several others, according to police.
Mohammad Massom Stanikzai, a High Peace Council official, was the intended target, but he escaped unharmed in Saturday’s attack. An armoured car was damaged in the bombing, according to a Reuters news agency witness.
The High Peace Council is a government body tasked with engaging the Taliban.
Also on Saturday, protesters gathered in Kabul in support of presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah’s allegations of mass fraud, and his call for the organisers to stop counting the ballots from the runoff election held a week ago.
Abdullah has pulled out of the race and asked the United Nations to intervene.
The UN mission in the country this week warned that if candidates “abandon the legal process and framework and appeal directly to supporters [it] could incite violence.”
“Some people have already called for civil disobedience,” the UN said.