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| Taliban Kill Election Official, Then Brag on Twitter | Taliban Kill Election Official, Then Brag on Twitter |
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| KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban killed a senior Afghan election official on Wednesday and then boasted about it on Twitter, in what officials said was the first attack by the insurgents against an official of the Independent Election Commission in recent years. | KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban killed a senior Afghan election official on Wednesday and then boasted about it on Twitter, in what officials said was the first attack by the insurgents against an official of the Independent Election Commission in recent years. |
| The deputy police chief in Kunduz Province, Ebadullah Talwar, said that two gunmen riding on a motorcycle opened fire on Mohammad Amanullah, the head of the Kunduz office of the commission, at 8:45 a.m., and he died at a hospital. | The deputy police chief in Kunduz Province, Ebadullah Talwar, said that two gunmen riding on a motorcycle opened fire on Mohammad Amanullah, the head of the Kunduz office of the commission, at 8:45 a.m., and he died at a hospital. |
| Within an hour, Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, was on Twitter to claim the attack. | Within an hour, Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, was on Twitter to claim the attack. |
| “At 9 a.m. this morning, Engineer Mohammad Aman head of Kunduz Independent Election Commission was killed by our Mujahedeen in Takharistan area of Kunduz city,” the Taliban tweet read, using a shortened version of the victim’s name. It was apparently the first time the Taliban had used Twitter to officially claim an assassination . | “At 9 a.m. this morning, Engineer Mohammad Aman head of Kunduz Independent Election Commission was killed by our Mujahedeen in Takharistan area of Kunduz city,” the Taliban tweet read, using a shortened version of the victim’s name. It was apparently the first time the Taliban had used Twitter to officially claim an assassination . |
| A spokesman for the commission in Kabul confirmed the killing but said that, despite the Taliban claim, it was too early to conclude who was behind Mr. Amanullah’s killing. | A spokesman for the commission in Kabul confirmed the killing but said that, despite the Taliban claim, it was too early to conclude who was behind Mr. Amanullah’s killing. |
| “We will wait until the investigation is completed by the security organs and then say who was behind this attack,” said Noor Ahmad Noor, a spokesman for the commission. “He was a noble person and a good colleague.” | “We will wait until the investigation is completed by the security organs and then say who was behind this attack,” said Noor Ahmad Noor, a spokesman for the commission. “He was a noble person and a good colleague.” |
| Mr. Amanullah had run the commission’s office in the northern province of Kunduz since 2003, Mr. Noor said. | Mr. Amanullah had run the commission’s office in the northern province of Kunduz since 2003, Mr. Noor said. |
| The insurgents’ effort to draw attention to its assassination of an election official may mean the group has decided to try to disrupt the elections more vigorously than they have in the past. | The insurgents’ effort to draw attention to its assassination of an election official may mean the group has decided to try to disrupt the elections more vigorously than they have in the past. |
| Although the election for president, as well as for provincial council members, is not until April 5, the three-week period for candidates to declare for president began Monday. So far, no one has made such a declaration as political coalitions jockey among themselves to decide whom to support. | Although the election for president, as well as for provincial council members, is not until April 5, the three-week period for candidates to declare for president began Monday. So far, no one has made such a declaration as political coalitions jockey among themselves to decide whom to support. |
| Increased violence toward election officials could deter some voters from the polls for an election that is considered an important milestone by the international community as foreign military forces withdraw. | Increased violence toward election officials could deter some voters from the polls for an election that is considered an important milestone by the international community as foreign military forces withdraw. |
| Last March, the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, denounced the planned April 2014 elections, calling them “a waste of time, nothing more.” | Last March, the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, denounced the planned April 2014 elections, calling them “a waste of time, nothing more.” |
| “As to the deceiving drama under the name of elections 2014, our pious people will not tire themselves out, nor will they participate in it,” Mr. Omar said in a statement e-mailed to journalists last March for the Id al-Fitr holiday. | |
| However, the Taliban leader did not explicitly threaten election workers and during previous election campaigns officials with the election commission were not singled out for attack. | However, the Taliban leader did not explicitly threaten election workers and during previous election campaigns officials with the election commission were not singled out for attack. |
| “We did not have any cases of attacks on I.E.C. staff in at least the past two years,” Mr. Noor said. | “We did not have any cases of attacks on I.E.C. staff in at least the past two years,” Mr. Noor said. |
| Officials of the commission have had far more problems from government harassment in past years, but the current panel has been criticized by opponents as being dominated by political appointees close to President Hamid Karzai. The head of the panel, Mohammad Yousef Nuristani, for instance, is a former spokesman for the president. | Officials of the commission have had far more problems from government harassment in past years, but the current panel has been criticized by opponents as being dominated by political appointees close to President Hamid Karzai. The head of the panel, Mohammad Yousef Nuristani, for instance, is a former spokesman for the president. |
| Only a few weeks ago, the I.E.C. announced that it faced a critical shortage of women to carry out body searches at female polling stations to deter suicide bombings. | Only a few weeks ago, the I.E.C. announced that it faced a critical shortage of women to carry out body searches at female polling stations to deter suicide bombings. |
| Mr. Mujahid, the Taliban tweeter, has long used the Internet to distribute his messages, through Web sites, a Google e-mail account and Facebook pages. His Twitter account opened on Aug. 26, 2012, and in recent months has become much more active, posting mostly in Pashto but occasionally sending or retweeting messages in English. | Mr. Mujahid, the Taliban tweeter, has long used the Internet to distribute his messages, through Web sites, a Google e-mail account and Facebook pages. His Twitter account opened on Aug. 26, 2012, and in recent months has become much more active, posting mostly in Pashto but occasionally sending or retweeting messages in English. |
| Most of his 1,468 followers are journalists, along with a smattering of Western military and diplomatic officials. | Most of his 1,468 followers are journalists, along with a smattering of Western military and diplomatic officials. |
Reporting was contributed by an Afghan employee of The New York Times in Kunduz. | Reporting was contributed by an Afghan employee of The New York Times in Kunduz. |