UN condemns Kabul attack targeting Afghan Vice President

Lyons described the intra-Afghan talks as a historic moment to end the brutal conflict in the country. Lyons last week said that near-record violence in Afghanistan in the last few weeks creates an atmosphere of mistrust and “risks derailing” the peace negotiations set to begin soon between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

The UN has strongly condemned the attack in Kabul on the official convoy of Afghanistan's First Vice President Amrullah Saleh, which resulted in many civilian casualties. The Vice President survived the attack on Wednesday but dozens of civilian casualties – mostly of bystanders – were reported in the blast, which took place in a crowded part of the city.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres extended his deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. "The Secretary-General reiterates the urgency of achieving a peaceful settlement to the conflict in the country and reaffirms the United Nations commitment to supporting the people and Government of Afghanistan in this important endeavour," the statement said.

In a separate message on her twitter account, Deborah Lyons, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, and the head of the UN Mission in the country (UNAMA) expressed "shock" at the initial high number of civilian casualties. "Perpetrators must face justice," she said.

The latest attack comes as Afghanistan prepares for the launch of direct peace negotiations between the government and the Taliban. Lyons described the intra-Afghan talks as a historic moment to end the brutal conflict in the country.

Lyons last week said that near-record violence in Afghanistan in the last few weeks creates an atmosphere of mistrust and "risks derailing" the peace negotiations set to begin soon between the Afghan government and the Taliban. "As I speak, Afghans representing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan are preparing to sit with other Afghans representing the Taliban to discuss, at long last, a political settlement to the conflict. This is truly a historic moment.

"After four decades of war, the people of Afghanistan have more reason than ever to hope that this devastating conflict, which has brought so much suffering, may finally come to an end," Lyons said last week. She had warned that this will be a long and challenging process and the pre-talks phase has already raised difficult issues related to prisoner releases, which have taken five months to resolve.

"Eventually the negotiations will have to tackle a range of profound questions about the kind of country Afghans want. These can only be addressed by Afghans talking with other Afghans. Solutions will not be found on the battlefield, we know this, nor can they be imposed from the outside," she added.