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| Relatives carry the body of one of the female judges shot dead by unknown gunmen in Kabul, on January 17, 2021.(Photo by=REUTERS) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] Gunmen shot dead two Afghan women judges working for the Supreme Court in an early morning ambush in the country's capital on Sunday (Jan 17), officials said, as a wave of assassinations continues to rattle the nation.
Violence has surged across Afghanistan in recent months despite ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and government - especially in Kabul, where a new trend of targeted killings aimed at high-profile figures has sown fear in the restive city. The latest attack, which President Ashraf Ghani blamed on the Taliban, comes just two days after the Pentagon announced it had cut troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500, the fewest in nearly two decades.
The attack on the judges happened as they were driving to their office in a court vehicle, said Ahmad Fahim Qaweem, a spokesman for the Supreme Court. There are more than 200 female judges working for the country's top court, the spokesman added. Kabul police confirmed the attack. The top British envoy to Kabul, Alison Blake, condemned the "appalling targeted attack" on the judges. Many journalists and activists have left the country, worried they might be the next targets. Additionally, Afghanistan's Supreme Court was a target in February 2017 when a suicide bomb ripped through a crowd of court employees, killing at least 20 and wounding 41.
