Female Afghan peace negotiator wounded in assassination bid

A female member of Afghanistan’s peace negotiating team has been somewhat wounded in an assassination try, officials say.

Fawzia Koofi, who is also a previous parliamentarian, was attacked on Friday afternoon near the cash, Kabul, whilst returning from a visit to the northern province of Parwan.

Koofi is portion of a 21-member group billed with representing the Afghan govt in upcoming peace talks with the Taliban, adhering to a US deal with the militants that was struck in February.

The head of the Afghan peace delegation, Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai, wrote that Koofi experienced survived the attack and was “in superior health”.

Fawzia Koofi and her sister Maryam Koofi stopped at a market place in the Qarabagh district when gunmen attacked them, claimed Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the interior ministry.

Both equally the Taliban and an Islamic Condition group affiliate keep on to carry out assaults versus Afghan federal government figures, but Zabihullah Maujhid, a Taliban spokesman, denied the team was included.

Koofi is also a women’s rights activist who has been a vocal Taliban critic. A information on her Facebook website page explained she endured a wound to her right arm. “Thankfully not a everyday living threatening personal injury.”

Arian claimed law enforcement have been launching an investigation. No additional facts of the assault were being readily available, he stated.

The US peace offer aims to recruit the Taliban to battle Islamic State militants in Afghanistan. The Taliban and IS are enemies.

The peace deal also paved the way for US and Nato forces to start off withdrawing from Afghanistan, and for the Taliban and Afghan federal government to start off direct talks.

The Afghan governing administration reported on Friday that it experienced produced the initial 80 of a last 400 Taliban prisoners forward of immediate negotiations concerning the two sides.

Prisoner releases on the two sides are aspect of the arrangement signed in February involving the US and the Taliban. It calls for the launch of 5,000 Taliban held by the federal government and 1,000 government and armed forces staff held by the insurgent team as a goodwill gesture forward of intra-Afghan negotiations.

Talks are envisioned to be held in Qatar, the place the Taliban preserve a political workplace. A number of Afghan leaders told the Affiliated Push talks could get started by 20 August.