KABUL – The United Nations in Afghanistan condemns today’s suicide attack in Kabul at an election-related facility that initial reports indicate claimed the lives of at least 31 civilians, with more than 50 others injured.

The incident is the latest in a spate of attacks that appear to deliberately target election-related facilities which have taken place since last week’s commencement of the voter registration process for the parliamentary and district elections scheduled for 20 October 2018.

“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.”

Today’s attack occurred when a suicide bomber detonated a body-borne improvised explosive device in the vicinity of an identity-card distribution and voter-registration centre in part of the city mostly populated by Shi’ite Muslims.

Since voter-registration began on 14 April, there have been a number of violent incidents around the country against the centres where citizens are required to sign up for the upcoming ballot. On Thursday, two police officers at a voter registration centre in Jalalabad were shot and killed by armed assailants, while in Ghor last week gunmen torched a voter registration center and abducted electoral and security officials. They were released the following day. The UN urges that those responsible for the violence be brought to justice.

On behalf of the United Nations in Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto expresses deep condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery of the injured.