The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) warned of increased attacks on voter registration sites in Afghanistan as the country prepares for parliamentary elections set for October.
According to UNAMA report, 23 election-related incidents including coordinated attacks on voter registration sites have been recorded since April 14, the beginning of the registration process.
Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN secretary general’s special representative for Afghanistan, described them as “attacks on democracy.’’
Based on the UN findings, the victims have mainly been civilians, with a total of 271 people killed or injured in the attacks.
According to the report, the deadliest election-related attack took place in a voter registration centre in Kabul’s western neighbourhood of Dasht-e-Barche – a mainly Shiite dominated area – on April 22, leaving 60 dead.
Islamic State claimed the attack through its official mouthpiece, Amaq News Agency.
Nearly 75 per cent of the incidents have taken place in mosques and schools that are used as voter registration centres, according to the UN report.
More than 40 per cent of polling stations for Afghan parliamentary elections could be subject to security risks affecting voter participation, an election monitor said in late March.