Two Afghan human rights workers killed in Kabul blast

A magnetic Improvised Explosive Device (IED) targeted the car of two Afghan human rights workers in Kabul. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan condemned the killing, saying there could be "no justification for attacks against human rights defenders".

Kabul: Two Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) staffers were killed on Saturday in a bomb blast in Kabul, police said.

The blast took place at around 7.45 am in the capital city's Botkhak when the two staffers were on the way to work.

"The blast caused by a magnetic Improvised Explosive Device (IED) targeted" the car they were travelling in, Kabul police spokesperson Firdaws Faramarz told Efe news.

Muhammad Reza Jafari, an AIHRC spokesperson, told Efe news that the victims comprised a female, but refused to reveal their identities.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack triggered widespread condemnation from rights and aid groups in the country.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan condemned the killing, saying there could be "no justification for attacks against human rights defenders".

"Immediate investigation (is) needed with perpetrators held to account," the UNAMA tweeted.

IANS