Rights watchdog raises concern over increase in targeted killings 

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has expressed deep concern over increasingly frequent targeted civilian killings across the country.

In a statement released Sunday, the AIHRC said their findings showed that in the first six months of this year, 533 people had been killed and 412 wounded in systematic and targeted assassinations.

“News of targeted attacks on activists, government officials, religious scholars and other civilians every day. This has created an environment of anxiety and fear, at the time when we most need to engage, mobilize, raise our voices and shape our peace process. Extremely worrying,” tweeted AIHRC chairwoman Shaharzad Akbar.

She also said the tactic has “created an environment of intimidation and fear. This is horrific and must stop.”

The rights commission found that in the southern Kandahar province alone, 122 civilians, including seven women, were killed between February 19 and September 20 this year.

The release of the statement coincided with another violent day across the country – which left at least four prominent Afghans dead in targeted attacks. 

Earlier Sunday the Ministry of Defense confirmed two officers of its legal department were assassinated in Kabul. Two other prominent figures, Hamdullah Arbab, a commissioner for the Access to Information Commission and Zarifa Ghafari, the female mayor of Maidan city both survived targeted attacks. 

The sharp rise in assassinations and attempted assassinations comes as Afghan peace negotiators and Taliban members continue to discuss the framework for intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha.