2 Afghan human rights workers killed in Kabul blast
Kabul, June 27 (efe-epa).- Two members of Afghanistan’s human rights commission were killed on Saturday when the car in which they were traveling was hit by a bomb blast in Kabul, police and the rights body said.
The blast took place around at 7:45 am in the Botkhak area in the east of Kabul city when the two staffers of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) were on the way to their office.
“The blast caused by a magnetic Improvised Explosive Device (IED) targeted a corolla car,” Kabul police spokesperson Firdaws Faramarz told EFE.
The two occupants of the car were killed in the blast, which was orchestrated through an IED attached to the vehicle, the spokesperson said.
“With regret, we confirm that one of our cars was targeted with an IED this morning in Kabul city. Two of the commission’s staff members lost their lives,” the AIHRC said in a statement.
“We are deeply shaken by this loss and express deepest condolences to the families,” it said.
Muhammad Reza Jafari, an AIHRC spokesperson, told EFE that one of the slain employees was a woman.
He, however, refused to reveal the names or any other identification details of the dead employees.
“For now, we can’t publish the names of the martyred colleagues,” he said, adding that the two worked in the Kabul office of the commission.
No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack in its immediate aftermath.
The attack triggered widespread condemnation from rights and aid groups in the country.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan condemned the killing, saying there could be “no justification for attacks against human rights defenders.”
“Immediate investigation (is) needed with perpetrators held to account,” the UNAMA tweeted.
Amnesty International’s South Asia chapter said the killings were “horrific” and “must be immediately and effectively investigated with the perpetrators held accountable.”
“Afghanistan’s human rights defenders are among the bravest in the world. They face threats, intimidation, harassment, and as with today’s tragedy, death. The international community and the Afghan government must ensure they get the protection they need,” Amnesty said.
Planting magnetic IEDs and roadside bombs are among the common and favorite weapons of militant groups to target government officials and influential figures in urban areas of Afghanistan.
The Taliban militant group has recently put suicide attacks in urban areas on hold, after signing a peace deal with the United States. EFE-EPA
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