Afghan judges killed in Kabul shooting

Gunmen shoot dead two Afghan women judges working for Supreme Court, officials say, as fear grows in restive city following several targeted killings of high-profile figures recently.

In this January 16, 2021 photo, Afghan security officers inspect the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan.
AP

In this January 16, 2021 photo, Afghan security officers inspect the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Gunmen have shot dead two Afghan women judges working for the Supreme Court during an early morning ambush in the country's capital, officials said, as a wave of assassinations continues to rattle the nation.

Sunday's attack on the judges happened as they were travelling to their office in a court vehicle, said Ahmad Fahim Qaweem, a spokesman for the court.

"Unfortunately, we have lost two women judges in today's attack. Their driver is wounded," Qaweem said. 

No group or person immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. 

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Targeted killings of high-profile figures

There are more than 200 female judges working for the country's top court, the spokesman added. 

Kabul police confirmed the attack.

"They were judges working for the Supreme Court," said Jamshid Rasuli, spokesman for the attorney general's office.

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Violence has surged across Afghanistan in recent months, especially in Kabul where a new trend of targeted killings of high-profile figures has sown fear and chaos in the restive city.

The latest attack comes just two days after the Pentagon announced it had cut troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500, their lowest numbers during the nearly two decades of war.

READ MORE: 12 things to know about the endless war in Afghanistan

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