Well-known political activist survives assassination attempt

Ahmad Saeedi, a political activist survived an armed attack by gunmen on Tuesday evening in Kabul city.

Speaking to Ariana News after the incident, Saeedi said he escaped unhurt but one of his bodyguards had been shot and wounded.

Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said: “Around 19:30 today, a police soldier was shot and wounded in the 3rd Makroyan area in PD9 near Mr. Saeedi’s house.”

Arian said that police are investigating the incident.

Saeedi meanwhile stated that he had been “under threat” and had reported the matter to the interior ministry a few days ago.

Meanwhile, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) said later Tuesday night that they had foiled an assassination plot against US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Ross Wilson.

The NDS said a group of four ISIL (Daesh) operatives planning to kill Wilson and Afghan officials had been taken into custody in Nangarhar province.

This comes after the Interior Ministry stated on Saturday that serious security measures have been taken to prevent attacks.

Explosions and targeted killings have spiked in recent months across the country, especially in Kabul.

While some government officials have accused the Taliban of being behind most of the assassinations of public figures, no group has claimed responsibility for these attacks.