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KABUL, Afghanistan – The deadly attack perpetrated this week against senior Afghan officials has highlighted the daunting challenges facing a country ravaged by violence as it goes to the polls on Saturday.
An elite guard of a provincial governor shot dead officials after a security meeting in Kandahar on Thursday, killing the powerful police chief of the southern province, General Abdul Raziq, and his chief. intelligence services, Abdul Mohmin. General Scott Miller, commander-in-chief of US and NATO forces in the country, had attended a meeting with the men, but had escaped unscathed.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident by providing photographs of the alleged attacker that they would have contacted several months ago. The death of Raziq has been a blow to those who seek to repel militants and stand up to neighboring Pakistan, long accused of interfering in Afghan affairs.
"I think no one can replace him," said Dawa Khan Menapal, a parliamentary candidate and former spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani. "He fought so hard that Kandahar was stable while the rest of the country was not safe."
Some praised him for bringing stability to Kandahar – considered the spiritual home of the Taliban – but human rights groups accused Raziq of widespread violations.
Activists have been fighting US-led NATO forces since the United States invaded Afghanistan in pursuit of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The group has experienced a resurgence in recent years and the first half of 2018 was the deadliest ever recorded in the long war that claimed the lives of 1,692 civilians, according to the United Nations. More than 2400 Americans also died in the conflict.
President Donald Trump has said he wants to withdraw some 14,000 US troops left in the country. Current and former US officials told NBC News that Trump's impatience with the war had prompted US diplomats and commanders to restart peace talks earlier in the year.
& # 39; Annihilated & # 39;
Thursday's attack contradicts claims that a degree of stability is being achieved in Afghanistan after four decades of violence, said Aaditya Dave, an analyst at the UK think tank The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
"It's a blow to Kandahar, because their whole security system, the top management, has been wiped out," Dave said.
Kandahar governor Zalmay Wesa was reportedly first killed, but the government later stated that he had been wounded. Three people – an American soldier, an American civilian and a NATO coalition contractor – were also injured.
He added that the incident raised questions about the viability of Saturday's parliamentary elections – the country's third since the Taliban were ousted by the US invasion in 2001.
The vote will be postponed for a week in Kandahar province as a result of the attack, said Haroon Chakhansuri, spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani.
The Taliban are fighting to overthrow the Kabul government since its overthrow. He promised to try to disrupt the elections, which he considers illegitimate.
At least two candidates and more than 34 civilians have been killed in such attacks since the start of the 20-day campaign. Five other candidates were killed and two others were abducted in the process.
Several elections were held on Saturday, in which three policemen were killed and at least eight people injured by explosions in Kabul. Clashes have also erupted between Taliban and security forces in at least three provinces.
According to a report released in April by the Special Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan, a monitoring agency charged with monitoring US efforts to rebuild the country, the Taliban have made progress in recent years and would threaten or control more than 40% of the country.
Regardless of Taliban violence and gains, US officials urged Afghans to vote.
Miller, the American general who survived the attack, urged Afghans to go to the polls.
"My message to the Afghan people has been very consistent. You have every right to be proud of your security forces and the preparations they have made for this election, "he told local television.
US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis told reporters on Friday that the United States remains "absolutely committed to Afghan-led Afghan reconciliation."
"For the moment," he said, "we are moving towards elections and we will continue to defend the Afghan people."
Afghan officials also say peace is getting closer to the country. At the funeral of Kandahar intelligence chief in Kabul on Friday, President Ashraf Ghani said the attack was a sign of ground loss for the Taliban.
"We can see the end of 40 years of conflict in Afghanistan, which is why our sworn enemies are attacking our brave sons," he said. "They will not be able to disturb us to achieve peace."
RUSI's Dave did not agree, saying Thursday's attack revealed the weak position of the US and Afghan government.
"Many initiatives have been geared to presumptions that the position of the government and the United States is much stronger than it actually is on the ground," he said. declared. "Maybe it will be recalibrated."
Ahmed Mengli reported in Kabul, Afghanistan; Mushtaq Yusufzai of Peshawar, Pakistan; and Linda Givetash from London.
