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Afghanistan: two women judges murdered in the street in Kabul

2021-01-17T13:13:44.313Z


The murder has not yet been claimed, but Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and US Charge d'Affaires in Kabul Ross Wils


Two women judges working for the Afghan Supreme Court were shot dead in Kabul on Sunday, the latest in a series of targeted assassinations that have affected figures in civil society for several months.

“Unfortunately, we lost two female judges in today's attack.

Their driver is injured, ”Ahmad Fahim Qaweem, spokesperson for the institution, told AFP.

The murder has not yet been claimed, but Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and US Chargé d'affaires in Kabul Ross Wilson have blamed the Taliban.

The two women were driving to their workplace in their vehicle when they were attacked by armed men, Qaweem said.

More than 200 female judges work for the Supreme Court, he added.

The Supreme Court had already been the target of an attack in February 2017 during a suicide bombing targeting a crowd of employees that left at least 20 dead and 41 injured.

Mr. Ghani blamed the attack on the Taliban, accusing them of waging "an illegitimate war".

“The government still wishes to reiterate to the Taliban that violence, terror, brutality and crimes […] will only prolong the war,” he said in a statement.

"Systematic massacre"

Ross Wilson, the American charge d'affaires in Kabul, also condemned the attack.

"The Taliban must understand that this type of action, for which they are responsible, scandalizes the world and must stop for peace to arrive in Afghanistan," he wrote on Twitter.

The British Ambassador to Afghanistan Alison Blake, for her part, criticized on the social network a "revolting targeted attack", calling for "an immediate investigation".

The head of the Independent Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan, Shaharzad Akbar, called these targeted killings of civilians "a systematic slaughter".

“Afghanistan is losing one of its most important gains, its professional and educated cadres in what looks like a systematic slaughter, and the world seems to be just watching.

This must stop, ”she lamented on Twitter.

The country has been the scene in recent weeks of a series of targeted assassinations of personalities, including members of the media, politicians and human rights defenders.

Many journalists and activists, worried for their safety, have fled the country.

Members of the security forces are also often targeted.

On Saturday, two police officers were killed in Kabul by an explosion as they passed a roadside mine.

Targeted killings are rarely claimed, but Afghan authorities blamed them on the Taliban, even though ISIS claimed some.

The US military first blamed the Taliban for targeted attacks last week.

Difficult negotiations with the Taliban

“The Taliban campaign of unclaimed attacks and killings targeting government officials, civil society leaders and journalists must […] end for peace to prevail,” the US forces spokesperson wrote on Twitter. in Afghanistan, Colonel Sonny Leggett.

The Taliban often deny being involved.

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Sunday's double assassination comes two days after Washington announced a recent reduction in US forces in Afghanistan to 2,500, the lowest number since the September 11 attacks.

The Taliban welcomed the announcement, which they described Sunday as "a positive step."

Last February, President Donald Trump's administration signed an agreement with the Taliban that endorses a complete withdrawal of American troops by May-2021 in exchange for security guarantees.

Since then, insurgents have attacked Afghan forces almost daily in the countryside.

In 2020, they carried out more than 18,000 attacks, Afghan intelligence chief Ahmad Zia Siraj said last week.

Violence has only increased across the country in recent months, despite ongoing peace negotiations in Doha, Qatar between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

These talks, which started in September, are progressing very slowly, and the two sides are now trying to agree on the agenda for the talks.

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2021-01-17

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