NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan, Nicolas Kay, on Monday said that violence against Afghan civilians is unforgivable and that it is the time to stop violence and solve the problem at the negotiating table. 

“The violence, we condemned completely and utterly. This is unforgivable violence against Afghan civilians. It is the time to stop that violence and time to solve the problem at the negotiating table,” Kay told reporters. 

Referring to a complex attack in Kabul on Sunday that targeted the Green Trend office, Kay said that such violence suggests that Afghanistan needs a peaceful solution.

“It is another sign that the Taliban, if it was them, are rejecting the will of the people, the people want peace, Afghan people want peace and the Taliban should stop their violence and respect the will of the Afghan people,” Kay said referring to the attack on political office of the vice-presidential candidate Amrullah Saleh in Kabul on Sunday that left 20 people dead, including 16 civilians.   

“The peace process is continuing and we fully support the efforts of the government Afghanistan and Ambassador Khalilzad and we do urge now the Afghans to be ready for an intra-afghan negotiation with a strong, united team to sit with the Taliban and solve the problem at the peace table,” the NATO envoy added. 

Meanwhile, China’s outgoing ambassador to Afghanistan, Liu Jinsong, in his last speech at his farewell ceremony in Kabul said that terrorism is the common enemy of both countries. 

“Terrorism is our common enemy of China and Afghanistan. Our countries firmly support each other in the efforts to counter terrorism,” Liu said. 

The surge in attacks in Kabul comes amid the start of the presidential election campaign and the ongoing peace process. A senior Afghan official said on Saturday that the intra-Afghan negotiations will begin within the next two weeks.