Afghanistan: Bomb Explosion At President’s Campaign Rally kills 24 Weeks After Taliban’s Threat

A suicide bomber on Tuesday killed at least 24 people outside a campaign rally for Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani, more than a month after terrorist group, Taliban had vowed to disrupt the coming election in the country.

The blast comes less than two weeks to the country’s election expected to hold on 28 September.

According to Parwan Hospital Director, Abdul Qasim Sangin, 32 people were wounded and the toll include women and children.

Ghani was not hurt, an Interior Ministry Spokesman, Nasrat Rahimi said.

Rahimi revealed that the bomber had been on a motorbike and had detonated at the first checkpoint leading to the rally.

Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, suspicion is rife Taliban was behind it.

Recall that US President, Donald Trump had abruptly ended talks with the Taliban seeking a deal that would have allowed the US to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.

Trump’s declaration that the talks were “dead” spurred the Taliban 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,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had said.

“If Trump wants to stop talks, we will take the first way and they will soon regret it.”

Ghani, who is widely expected to win a second term in the election had said the country’s security forces were “fully prepared” to protect voters against Taliban threats.

“Participation in elections and choosing a leader through direct voting is the religious and legal right of the Afghan people,” Ghani said in a statement.

The Afghan government has made “all preparations to hold a free, fair, and transparent election,” he also said.