UN condemns deadly attack on Kabul supermarket

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has condemned an attack on a supermarket in the centre of Kabul today, which has reportedly killed at least six civilians, including a child.

Media reports say a suicide bomber struck in the early afternoon at the supermarket, which is located in the Wazir Akbar Khan district of the Afghan capital, near several Western embassies.

UNAMA notes that the bombing comes on the heels of a number of attacks on Afghan civilians across the country in the first weeks of the year.

There can be no credible claim that this or other attacks involve legitimate targets, it says.

Last month, Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNAMA, warned that in the face of increased successes by international forces and the national army in Afghanistan, the Taliban may attempt spectacular attacks in the coming weeks.

“Our sentiment is: before it gets better it may get worse,” he said in a briefing to the Security Council. “We should be ready, I’m afraid, for the next few months for some tense security environment.”