31 July 2016•Update: 31 July 2016
By Shadi Khan Saif
KABUL, Afghanistan
For the second time in a matter of days, a high profile pro-government figure has been killed in an apparent targeted killing in Afghanistan on Sunday.
Dr. Asadullah Hematyar, a former lawmaker from President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani’s home province Logar, was assassinated near his clinic in capital Kabul.
No group or individual has yet claimed responsibility for the attack and a motive has not been identified.
On Friday, the head of Afghan parliament's human resources department was killed in a blast caused by a magnetic Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted in his vehicle. The Taliban were quick to claim responsibility.
The Taliban also claimed a similar attack only a month earlier that killed Sher Wali Wardak, another leading pro-government politician and serving lawmaker, near his home in Kabul.
As part of their yearly offensive, the Taliban vowed they would target high-profile pro-government figures alongside their usual attacks on government installations.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented more than 5,000 civilian casualties in the first half of 2016.
Earlier in the day, Afghan forces recaptured Khanashin district in the restive southern Helmand province, losing 50 policemen to the Taliban.
The Ministry of Defense said it has killed 91 fighters from the Taliban or pro-Daesh groups across the country.
