Blasts in Afghanistan as presidential rivals hold oath ceremonies

Source: The Guardian

Blasts have been reported in Kabul as Afghanistan’s two leading presidential candidates held separate swearing-in ceremonies after both claimed to have won last year’s elections.

The incumbent Ashraf Ghani took his oath of office at the country’s presidential palace in Kabul in a ceremony on Monday attended by foreign diplomats including the US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.

At about the same time, Ghani’s rival Abdullah Abdullah was holding his own inauguration ceremony despite negotiations late into the night on Sunday in an attempt to find a compromise between the rivals. Television stations in the country broadcast the two ceremonies side by side.

A spokesman for the president’s office said nobody was hurt in the explosions on Monday. It was not immediately clear where they had taken place. Islamic State claimed responsibility.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/09/blasts-afghanistan-presidential-rivals-abdullah-abdullah-ghani-oath-ceremonies