UNAMA condemns Taliban attack targeting judicial authorities

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has condemned Taliban’s today attack in an outlying western suburb of Kabul which killed eleven civilians and injured ten.

 The suicide bomber detonated against a shuttle bus transporting employees of the Maidan Wardak provincial court. The blast, that occurred in the Pul-e-Bagh Daud Area of the Paghman District of Kabul Province, killed and injured civilian passengers of the bus and bystanders in the area, including six children.

UNAMA says it has verified 14 separate attacks targeting judges, prosecutors and judicial staff since the beginning of this year, which have resulted in nine civilian deaths and 19 civilians injured, as well as four incidents of abduction of judicial staff. The Taliban claimed responsibility for seven of these incidents.

“Attacks against judicial authorities are cowardly and contrary to international humanitarian law,” said Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA. “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.”

The UN Mission in Afghanistan urges all parties to prohibit attacks directed against civilians and the use of indiscriminate tactics, particularly suicide attacks using improvised explosive devices. 

UNAMA further expresses its “heartfelt condolences” to those who have lost their loved ones in these attacks and wishes a speedy recovery to those who have been injured.