UPDATE - Afghanistan: 62 dead in voter registration office blast

UPDATES DEATH TOLL, ADDS EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT, UN CONDEMNATION

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - A Sunday morning suicide bombing in the Afghan capital Kabul killed over 60 people trying to register for fall elections, officials confirmed.

Waheed Majroh, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, told Anadolu Agency that 62 people had been killed and over 100 were injured.

“More than 20 women and children are among the dead," he added.

According to Humayon Mohtaat, head of the population census directorate, the attack on a voter registration office took place in Dasht Barchi, western Kabul, outside the protected diplomatic and governmental "green zone".

Jawed Hassan, an eye witness, said a large number of civilians, including women and children, had gathered to get identity cards for the upcoming elections due to a shortage of application forms on Saturday.

“I saw with my own eyes many children were killed. Women were also among the victims,” he added.

Registration began last week for long-awaited local and parliamentary elections, set for Oct. 20.

This is the third attack in the last week against Afghanistan's voter registration process, and the biggest.

Through a propaganda website, Daesh claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The Taliban, which is encouraging Afghans not to take part in the elections, had been suspected in the attack, but a spokesman tweeted that the group was not involved.

Dasht Barchi has a large Shia Hazara population which has been targeted by Daesh terrorists.

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani condemned the deadly attack. “I wish Allah’s mercy upon those who were martyred, speedy recovery to the wounded, and convey my deep condolences to the victims’ families,” he said in a statement.

The United Nations in Afghanistan described the incident as the latest in a spate of attacks that appear to deliberately target election-related facilities.

“The UN family in Afghanistan feels a deep sense of revulsion at today’s outrage,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.

“Compounding the callous disregard for the lives of civilians, the killing appears to be part of a wholly unacceptable effort by extremists to deter Afghan citizens from carrying out their constitutional right to take part in elections.”