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Gunmen Kill Supreme Court Official in Afghanistan’s Capital Taliban Ramp Up Fatal Attacks in Afghanistan
(about 7 hours later)
KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunmen killed a senior official of Afghanistan’s highest court near his home in Kabul on Saturday, the police said, the latest in a series of brazen attacks in the capital in recent weeks. KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban suicide attackers and gunmen unleashed a wave of violence in the capital and beyond on Saturday, killing six Afghan soldiers aboard a Kabul transport bus, assassinating a Supreme Court official and shooting to death 12 men working to clear land mines in Helmand Province.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing of Atiqullah Rawoofi, head of the Supreme Court’s secretariat, who the police said was on his way to work when he was shot. The attacks underscored what has been an exceptionally violent fall in Afghanistan, a departure from past years when violence has typically slowed during the cold months. Recent attacks have also heightened feelings of fear and uncertainty permeating the capital, as the new administration of President Ashraf Ghani struggles to appoint a cabinet.
The killing came two days after a teenager evaded tight security and blew himself up at an elite French school in Kabul, killing a German and wounding as many as 20 other people, during a theatrical performance about the toll of suicide bombings. On the same day, another bomber struck an army bus, killing five soldiers. Other recent attacks have targeted a British Embassy vehicle, the compound of a small aid organization and a prominent female member of Parliament. In the last month, insurgents have claimed responsibility for attacks during a performance at an elite Kabul high school, on a British Embassy vehicle, on the compound of an aid group and against a prominent member of Parliament. Perhaps most unsettling, a suicide bomber infiltrated the Kabul police chief’s heavily fortified offices just over a month ago in an attempt to assassinate him. That attack, which killed another police official, was the first in the wave of assaults that have left Kabul feeling under siege.
Perhaps most unsettling, a suicide bomber infiltrated the Kabul police chief’s heavily fortified offices just over a month ago in a failed attempt to assassinate him. That attack, which killed one police official, was the first in the wave of assaults that have left the capital feeling somewhat under siege. Saturday’s attack on the soldiers, which occurred around 4 p.m. in southwest Kabul, only amplified that feeling. Six soldiers were killed and 10 were wounded by a suicide bomber. Details about civilian casualties were not immediately available. It was the second targeted attack against Afghan soldiers in Kabul within a week. Two days earlier, five soldiers were killed in a similar fashion.
The Taliban also claimed responsibility for a roadside bombing Friday night that targeted a NATO convoy near the Bagram military base north of the capital, killing two service members. Saturday’s violence began with the assassination of the secretariat of the Supreme Court, Atiqullah Rawoofi, as he rode to work from his home in Kabul’s northwestern suburbs. Mr. Rawoofi, a longtime member of the judiciary, was shot by two assailants on a motorbike and died on the way to the hospital, the police said.
The attack Saturday was another grim data point for Kabul, and the country more broadly, as the new Afghan government struggles to stem a rising tide of Taliban violence. The Taliban claimed responsibility for both Kabul attacks, as well as a bombing late Friday night that claimed the lives of two American soldiers near the Bagram Air Base, coalition officials said. The insurgents also said that their attacks would not be restricted to military and governmental targets.
Attacks in Kabul are nothing new, of course. At other times this year the city has been similarly tense, as after the January attack on a restaurant favored by Westerners that left 21 people dead, and after gunmen infiltrated the Serena Hotel in March and killed at least nine people, including a respected local journalist and most of his family. While the recent attacks represent an escalation for the Taliban, the death tolls in Kabul have been less devastating than during past waves of violence. “Efforts have been made to identify those media outlets, civil society organizations and other related groups who are attempting to intensify vulgarity among the nation and broadcast programs that are against,” a Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said. “The Taliban will continue its attacks targeting foreign invaders and their Afghan slaves.”
What is different now, however, is the stasis that has enveloped the government as President Ashraf Ghani struggles to select his cabinet. Disagreements over appointments with Abdullah Abdullah, Mr. Ghani’s chief executive and his opponent in the presidential election this year, have left the top posts at the various ministries empty, putting most of the ministries in a holding pattern. The most deadly attack on Saturday occurred in Helmand Province around noon when a group of Afghans neutralizing mines were ambushed by Taliban gunmen. The men were working near the major military base in the province, where they planned to dispose of the mines, when the Taliban attacked, killing 12. After a group of Afghan soldiers responded to the attack, a gunfight erupted between the insurgents and the soldiers. Four Taliban fighters were killed and three were captured, officials said.
In particular, many in Kabul are eagerly watching for signs of who will be the new ministers of defense and interior, who are responsible for the army and the police, respectively. Afghan forces have suffered a record number of casualties during this year’s fighting, and the Taliban have made strides beyond their usual rural strongholds, challenging district centers and establishing front lines in areas where they once relied strictly on guerrilla tactics. There have been similarly intense periods of violence in Kabul. After a January attack on a restaurant favored by Westerners left 21 people dead and gunmen stormed the Serena Hotel in March, killing at least nine people, a pall settled over Kabul. And while the recent attacks represent an escalation for the Taliban, the death tolls here have been less devastating than in the past.
What is different now, however, is that uncertainty has enveloped the government as Mr. Ghani struggles to select his cabinet. Disagreements over appointments with Abdullah Abdullah, Mr. Ghani’s chief executive, have left the top posts at the various ministries empty.
Much interest is focused on the Defense and Interior Ministries, which are responsible for the army and the police. Afghan forces have suffered a record number of casualties this year, and the Taliban have made advances beyond their usual rural strongholds, challenging district centers and establishing front lines in areas where they once relied strictly on guerrilla tactics.