Afghan VP Saleh escapes unharmed in Kabul bomb attack

KABUL: Afghan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh escaped unharmed after a roadside bomb in Kabul targeted his convoy on Wednesday morning.

Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian told a news agency that two people had been killed and another twelve were wounded in the blast.

“Today, once again the enemy of Afghanistan tried to harm Saleh, but they failed to get to their evil aim, and Saleh escaped the attack unharmed,” Razwan Murad, a spokesman for Saleh’s office, wrote on social media.

He said the bomb targeted Saleh’s convoy and some of his bodyguards were injured. Afghan Health Ministry officials said two bodies and seven injured people had been shifted to a hospital.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing which comes just before long-awaited peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Qatar’s capital Doha. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed denied being involved in the attack.

In remarks made after the attack, Saleh’s spokesman quoted him as saying that Afghans will never deal on their values and will not compromise.

Saleh is a former intelligence chief and has survived several assassination attempts, including one on his office last year that killed 20 people.

The rising violence is affecting the trust needed for the success of talks aimed at ending the armed conflict in Afghanistan ongoing for the past two decades.

Pakistan has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the convoy of First Vice President of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh.

In a tweet, Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said it is a matter of relief that Amrullah Saleh remained unharmed. He extended heartfelt sympathies and condolences to bereaved families and prayed for swift recovery of the wounded.