RFE/RLThu, 25 Jul 2019 04:11 UTC
The election comes at a time when militants are launching attacks on Afghan security forces almost every day.
The Taliban can take part in the September 28 presidential election if they start negotiations with the Afghan government, a spokesman for Afghan chief executive officer Abdullah Abdullah told local media outlet Tolo News on July 24.
Speaking four days before the presidential election campaign starts, the spokesman, Fraidoon Khwazoon, said "the door is open for the Taliban whenever they are willing to come and sit with the Afghan government and take part in democratic and national stages."
His comments came a day after
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he will meet with the Taliban to try and persuade them start negotiations with the Western-backed government in Kabul.
"Now I will meet the Taliban...to get them to talk to the Afghan government, and so that the election" can be inclusive, Khan said at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington on July 23.
Washington has said it is ready to pull foreign forces out of the country in exchange for a set of Taliban security guarantees. One of them is for Afghanistan not to become a haven for terrorist groups.
The United States is aiming for a deal by September 1, before the presidential election.
If no one wins a majority, a second round will take place, most likely in November.
Comment: Meanwhile RFE/RL
reports on the surge in attacks that has happened of late. It doesn't make complete sense that the Taliban, who not long ago were in Moscow for peace talks, would desire to keep the country in a state of war when they're being offered a place at the bargaining table, and have shown their willingness to cooperate. Many of these attacks would be much more beneficial to other factions who seek to keep Afghanistan in a state of chaos, see:
Pepe Escobar: How to kill 10 million Afghans and not win
More than 50 people have been killed in a wave of attacks across three Afghan provinces, including the capital, Kabul, despite renewed momentum in peace efforts to put an end to the country's nearly 18-year war.
Three blasts in eastern Kabul on July 25 left at least 10 dead, including five women while 41 others were wounded, Ministry of Public Health spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said.
A wounded woman arrives for treatment at a hospital after a blast in Kabul on July 25.
A second explosion took place in the same area while a third explosion triggered by a car bomb took place further east, Rahimi said.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the car bomb, saying that a convoy of "foreign invaders" passing the area was targeted in the bombing.
The Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for two blasts in Kabul, the group's Amaq news agency reported. It was not immediately clear which of the blasts IS claimed.
Violence in Afghanistan has intensified in recent weeks as both Afghan forces and Taliban militants attempt to increase their leverage in ongoing peace talks.
U.S. and Taliban representatives have held several rounds of peace talks since last year and Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, is currently in Kabul to consult on the next steps in the process ahead of a new round of talks in Qatar next week.
© RFE/RL
The Taliban, however, has refused to meet with Kabul government officials whom they regard as U.S. puppets.
The Taliban controls or contests around half of the country, controlling more territory than any time since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 ousted the group from power.
The July 25 attack is the 13th in Kabul city alone since the beginning of the year, leaving more than 70 dead and over 510 others injured.
On the same day outside of the capital, nine civilians -- six women and three children -- were killed and four were wounded in a roadside bombing in the eastern province of Nangarhar, the provincial governor's office said in a statement.
The roadside bomb struck a minibus carrying a family that was heading to a wedding, according to the statement. The attack occurred in Nangarhar's Khogyani district.
In the northern province of Takhar, at least 35 police officers were killed in a Taliban attack on security facilities. At least 12 people, including six police officers, were also injured in an hours-long gunbattle that took place in the Ishkamish district, former district Governor Sayed Mehrabuddin said.
There are 18 candidates competing for the presidency including current incumbent Ashraf Ghani, who is seeking a second term.
All of them are men, including a former warlord.
See also:
Comment: Meanwhile RFE/RL reports on the surge in attacks that has happened of late. It doesn't make complete sense that the Taliban, who not long ago were in Moscow for peace talks, would desire to keep the country in a state of war when they're being offered a place at the bargaining table, and have shown their willingness to cooperate. Many of these attacks would be much more beneficial to other factions who seek to keep Afghanistan in a state of chaos, see: Pepe Escobar: How to kill 10 million Afghans and not win See also: