Security Council Press Statement on Afghanistan

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Sacha Sergio Llorentty Solíz (Bolivia):

The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the attacks that took place in Afghanistan over the past weeks, including in Jowzjan, Kunduz, Takhar, Herat, Zabul, Farah and today in Kandahar, resulting in numerous casualties and many injured, ahead of the Parliamentary elections in Afghanistan on 20 October.

The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Afghanistan and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.

The members of the Security Council underscored the importance of a secure environment for conducting elections and emphasized that violence in any form, or the threat thereof, intended to disrupt the elections and democratic process in Afghanistan is unacceptable.