Comment on Afghan official: 13 civilians shot dead by unknown gunmen

KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 13 Afghan civilians were killed on Saturday in a previously peaceful region in the country’s north as President Ashraf Ghani sought to assure international donors gathered in the capital Kabul that Afghanistan is making progress on promised reforms. Munir Ahmad Farhad, the spokesman for the governor of Balkh province, said the civilians were killed by unidentified gunmen who stopped their vehicles and then shot them dead. The incident took place as Ghani opened a conference of donors to his country’s reconstruction after almost 40 years of war, telling them he has made progress on a range of major challenges including security and corruption. The Senior Officials Meeting is a gathering of delegates from the international community, including non-government organizations, which support Afghanistan’s economic, security and social reconstruction. Ghani told the meeting his government has accelerated a crackdown on corruption, reformed customs to significantly increase revenue collection and boosted capacity building. He acknowledged a problem with job creation but said it was a “priority of the national unity government.” He noted he has also sought to bring women into senior government positions, including four ministers and one provincial governor. The one-day meeting followed a two-day Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan, which brought together officials from more than 30 nations and 40 international organizations.