Taliban kill at least 26 in blast near Afghan presidential rally
Kabul, Sept 17: A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 26 people and wounded dozens near a campaign rally for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday, with the insurgents warning of more violence ahead of elections.
About an hour after the attack, another blast also claimed by the Taliban rocked central Kabul near the US embassy.
It was not immediately clear if the second blast claimed any lives, but an AFP journalist at nearby Wazir Akbar Khan hospital saw around a dozen wounded victims, and a witness told AFP he had seen bodies in the street.
The explosions came after US President Donald Trump abruptly ended talks with the Taliban on September 10 over a deal that would have allowed the US to begin withdrawing troops from its longest war.
In a statement sent to media claiming responsibility for both blasts, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the attack near Ghani's rally was deliberately aimed at disrupting the September 28 elections.
"We already warned people not to attend election rallies, if they suffer any losses that is their own responsibility," the statement said.
The bomber near Ghani's rally in Parwan province, about an hour's drive north of Kabul -- had been on a motorbike and had detonated his device at a checkpoint leading to the event, according to interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi.
An AFP image from the scene showed the remains of a burnt motorcycle, with a body on top covered by a blanket, next to a badly damaged police car.
Women and children were among the casualties, Parwan hospital director Abdul Qasim Sangin told AFP, adding 42 people were injured as well as the 26 dead.
The president, who was speaking to his supporters at the time of the blast, was unhurt but later condemned the attack, saying the incident proved the Taliban had no real interest in reconciliation.
"As the Taliban continue their crimes, they once again prove that they are not interested in peace and stability in Afghanistan," said Ghani in a statement.
The UN offices in Afghanistan also slammed the Taliban, accusing the insurgents of showing "despicable disregard for civilian life & fundamental human right to participate in democratic process".
Sixty kilometres (40 miles) away in Kabul, a shopkeeper, Rahimullah, said he had been sitting inside his shop when the second blast came.
"The wave broke all the windows," he said.
"I rushed outside and saw several bodies just across the street. This is the second time in less than a month that a blast has broken our windows. I just fixed them a week ago." The elections will see Ghani face off against his own Chief Executive, Abdullah Abdullah, and more than a dozen other candidates, including former warlords, ex-spies, and onetime members of the country's former communist regime.
For weeks, the election had been sidelined by the US-Taliban talks, with many Afghans and observers expecting the vote to be cancelled if a deal was agreed. Even candidates did little in the way of campaigning.
But with the deal off, Ghani and his rivals have begun the race.
Ghani is seeking a clear mandate they can use to negotiate with the insurgents on a lasting peace in Afghanistan.
Trump's declaration that the US-Taliban talks were "dead" spurred the insurgents to declare last week that the only other option was more fighting.
"We had two ways to end occupation in Afghanistan, one was jihad and fighting, the other was talks and negotiations," Mujahid told AFP last week.
"If Trump wants to stop talks, we will take the first way and they will soon regret it." Observers had warned the Taliban, who hope to weaken the future president, will do anything they can to upend the election.
On the first day of campaigning in July, suicide attackers and gunmen targeted the Kabul office of Ghani's running mate, Amrullah Saleh. At least 20 people died in those attacks.
Turnout in the elections is set to be low, with experts citing fear of violence and a loss of hope among voters following widespread fraud allegations during the 2014 election.
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Only allegation-free individuals to handle Hajj pilgrims: Delhi High Court
New Delhi: In a recent ruling, the Delhi High Court stated that individuals with no allegations of deceit should be entrusted with the responsibility of handling pilgrims keeping in mind the sanctity of Hajj.
Justice Subramonium Prasad highlighted the provision in the Haj Policy, granting the Central Government authority to bar Hajj Group Organizers (HGOs) against whom complaints of misconduct have been lodged, particularly concerning their dealings with pilgrims.
The court's stance came in response to a plea filed by Al Islam Tour Corporation challenging the Centre's decision to blacklist it for ten years, starting from Hajj 2021. This decision followed a complaint from a Hajj pilgrim, accusing the corporation of defrauding him in 2013 by accepting Rs. 13 lakhs for pilgrimage expenses but failing to refund the money upon cancellation.
Dismissing the plea, the court noted that the petitioner wasn't registered as an HGO for Hajj 2018 and thus shouldn't have been involved in any Hajj-related activities without proper registration.
The court underscored the significance of the Hajj pilgrimage for many Indians, often being a once-in-a-lifetime journey for the less privileged who may spend their entire savings on it.
Furthermore, the court said that while the majority of Indian pilgrims obtain permission from the Hajj Committee, some experienced private tour operators are also authorised to facilitate the pilgrimage.
Considering the objectives of the Hajj Policy and the seriousness of the complaint against the petitioner, the court deemed the imposed penalty justified and saw no need for modification.
