The top U.N. envoy in Afghanistan on Tuesday condemned a suicide bombing in the central province of Parwan that killed 12 civilians, including 10 children, and wounded eight. The Taliban detonated an explosive-rigged bicycle in the Qalandarkhail area of Bagram district near Afghan National Police and international military forces personnel, killing six of them. "I reiterate UNAMA's [U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan] repeated calls to the Taliban to immediately ban the use of indiscriminate weapons and to cease attacks in civilian populated areas," said the head of UNAMA, Jan Kubis. UNAMA noted a 34 percent increase in 2013 from 2012 in the amount of children killed or injured, numbering 1,750 child casualties. The attack comes after Monday's preliminary results of the presidential election between Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, where polls are being audited before the new president is announced. UNAMA encouraged the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC), "to demonstrate their commitment to the future of the country by taking the responsibility to fully discharge their mandates while demonstrating the utmost impartiality, transparency and responsibility."
