The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen deplored in the strongest terms the recent attacks and intimidation attempts targeting parliamentary election candidates in Afghanistan. In the second such violent attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up inside the office of a candidate for parliamentary elections in Afghanistan's Helmand province yesterday, killing the candidate and seven other civilians and inuring scores of innocent Afghans. The Secretary General conveyed his condolences to the victims' families and expressed support for the Government of Afghanistan for its firm commitment to conduct free, fair and transparent elections as scheduled. The OIC Secretary General drew attention to the letter and spirit of the Makkah Declaration of the International Ulema Conference for Peace and Security in Afghanistan and urged the Member States, the parties to the conflict and all friends of Afghanistan to redouble their efforts to achieve reconciliation and a lasting peaceful settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan.
