(Image source: pajhwok)

BY ALEJANDRA QUINTELA

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

You're watching multisource world video news analysis from Newsy. 

The mayor of Afghanistan’s second largest city of Kandahar has been killed by a suicide bomber.


“Ghulam Haidar Hamidi was preparing to address a crowd at city hall when the bomber struck. Afghan authorities say the explosive device was hidden inside the man´s turban. Two weeks ago the brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was assassinated in the same city.” (euronews)


The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the blast, which also killed one civilian and wounded several people.


The Financial Times reports the incident furthers concerns the round of assasinations will continue.


“...the killings have sent a wave of fear through Afghanistan’s political elite, adding to a mounting sense of anxiety that a planned withdrawal of foreign combat forces in 2014 could lead to the return of the Taliban or renewed civil war... Kandahar [is] the Taliban’s former capital...”

NATO TV points out -- Mayor Hamidi has survived previous assassination attempts. In speaking with a NATO reporter before his death -- Mayor Hamidi had sounded hopeful he could turn the area around.

“I’m feeling now we can bring change in the city. Don’t worry, I will not die when God’s not killing me.”


According to the Sydney Morning Herald --  the apparent assassination campaign against key public figures could be a Taliban strategy to isolate President Karzai.

 "Killing the president's allies is an orchestrated effort to isolate the beleaguered leader and leave him without an electoral powerbase.”


The Washington Post quotes U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker -- who says these tactics could indicate an overall weakness of the Taliban.


“I would judge that the Taliban is now damaged to the point where they can no longer conduct large-scale operations. Clearly, these are horrific attacks, but they can also be interpreted as a sign of significant organizational weakness on the part of the adversary.”

Finally - the BBC suggests the killing of the Afghan senior officials will leave a power vacuum.


“It is hard to replace this people who have the trust of the Americans but also the trust of President Karzai. It is not going to be an easy task  replacing the mayor of Kandahar.”
 

Transcript by Newsy.