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Intra-Afghan peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are expected to begin soon. However, the violence in the country continues: Afghanistan’s Vice President Amrullah Saleh has escaped an assassination attempt in the capital Kabul. Several bodyguards were killed, it was said from Saleh’s surroundings. Attacks on politicians and activists had increased in recent weeks.
“Saleh is safe and sound”
“A car bomb exploded in the street where the vice president passed,” Saleh’s adviser Homajun Ahmadi said on Wednesday. He was not injured, but several bodyguards were. Two people died and twelve others were injured, according to the Interior Ministry. A cloud of smoke could be seen even miles from the attack site.
“This terrorist attack failed and Saleh is safe and sound,” said Vice President Raswan Murad’s spokesman. According to eyewitnesses, bystanders are said to have died.
The attack took place before the planned start of peace talks between Afghans in Qatar. There is no date yet for talks between the Islamist Taliban and the government.
In recent months, politicians, activists and religious representatives have been increasingly attacked or killed. Experts see this as an attempt to intimidate and weaken Afghan civil society ahead of the planned peace negotiations. The masterminds behind the targeted attacks generally remain hidden.
The Taliban signed an agreement with the US government in February regulating the gradual withdrawal of US forces. The prerequisite for withdrawal is a decrease in violence in Afghanistan. The Afghan government in Kabul did not participate because the Taliban rejected direct talks at the time. The violent conflict in the country continued unabated despite the agreements.
The Taliban had demanded the release of thousands of their fighters from Afghan prisons as a prerequisite for direct peace negotiations with the government. The Kabul government repeatedly fired hundreds of Islamists. In early September, the Afghan government announced that it saw the way for peace talks with the Taliban.
