Daily Times

As there is no let-up in violence in Afghanistan despite the February US-Taliban agreement on troops’ withdrawal, the US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad urged the Taliban and the government forces to reduce violence and quickly move to a ceasefire.

Afghan officials said at least nine people were killed and 20 others were injured in an explosion in Kabul Sunday morning. The apparent target was Haji Khan Mohammad Wardak, a parliamentarian from Kabul. He was among the injured, according to Interior Minister Masoud Andarabi.

Pakistani ambassador in Kabul Mansoor Khan said he was deeply saddened at lives lost in the terrorist attack in Kabul. He expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for early recovery of the injured. Khan in a tweet emphasized efforts by all sides for reduction in violence.

Taliban denied involvement in the blast and no other group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, Khalilzad showed concern at the continued violence in Afghanistan and called on all sides to reduce violence and move quickly to a ceasefire.

“Together and with international support they must also deal with menace of unexploded ordnance and mines across the country to save precious lives, children and adults. The killing and death of Afghans including civilians has become too commonplace,” the US envoy tweeted.

He condemned the ongoing high level of violence and all those who authorize and carry out such attacks across Afghanistan, creating terror and bloodshed.

“Their goal is to sow discord and use violence to undermine Afghans committed to peace, a permanent end to violence, and a prosperous Afghanistan. This enemy must be denied,” Khalilzad said.

He said the news from Ghazni of the deaths of so many innocents, almost all of them children, is heart-breaking and shared the sorrow and grief that the victims’ families bear at this moment.

Khalilzad said with the US-Taliban agreement, US-Afghan Joint Declaration, broad international support for peace and start of intra-Afghan negotiations, the intra-Afghan war and killing have lost their legitimacy in the eyes of the overwhelming number of Afghans who need and yearn for peace and security.

“The Islamic Republic and the Taliban must respect the demands of their people and reach a political agreement as soon as possible. The United States stands with the people of Afghanistan,” the US envoy said in another tweet.

The Taliban and the Afghan government accuse each other of spike in the violence, which now moistly kill Afghan civilians.