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Afghanistan

UNAMA condemns attack outside Supreme Court in Kabul

KABUL - The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemns Tuesday’s suicide attack in Kabul which killed at least 20 civilians and injured more than 40 others. Many of those killed and wounded were women, most of them female Supreme Court employees.

The blast took place when a suicide attacker detonated a device outside the Supreme Court. No party has claimed responsibility for the attack.

“This attack appears to have deliberately targeted civilian judicial staff as they were leaving the office for the day,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA. “This attack is nothing short of an atrocity. Those responsible for planning and carrying out this horrendous act must be brought to justice.”

UNAMA notes with concern a pattern of attacks against judicial authorities in recent years. Since the beginning of 2015 alone, UNAMA has documented 74 attacks targeting judges, prosecutors and judicial staff, which have resulted in 89 dead and 214 injured. It reminds all parties that judges and staff of civilian courts – including the Supreme Court – are civilians. Attacks intentionally targeting civilians are tantamount to war crimes.

UNAMA expresses deep condolences to the families of those killed and wishes a swift recovery to the injured.