KABUL - A senior member of Afghanistan’s election commission survived an assassination attempt Saturday when a suicide bomber targeted his vehicle in Kabul, killing one of his employees and wounding two others, officials said.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack on Awal Rehman Rodwal, the regional director at the Independent Election Commission, which comes after more than a month-long lull in Taliban raids on the capital.
“This morning when Rodwal was leaving for work, there was an explosion before he got into his car,” Noor Mohmmad Noor, an IEC spokesman told AFP.
“Rodwal escaped the attack unharmed.”
Noor said Rodwal’s bodyguard died in the bombing but Kabul police described the man killed as his driver.
Two others were wounded in the attack, which marks the first fatal attack on IEC staff in the heavily guarded city this year.
There was no immediate comment from the Taliban, who have been blamed for several such incidents in the past.
Meanwhile, Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday expressed "sadness" over Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane that has severely strained relations, saying he wished the incident had never happened. In his most conciliatory comments yet after Tuesday's incident, Erdogan said: "I'm really saddened by the incident. We wish it had never happened, but it happened. I hope something like this doesn't happen again.
"We hope that the issue between us and Russia does not escalate any further, become corrosive and have dire consequences in the future," Erdogan told supporters in western Balikesir province.
Erdogan also renewed a call to Russian President Vladimir Putin for a face-to-face meeting in Paris on the sidelines of the Global Climate Summit on Monday, saying it would be an opportunity to restore relations.
"What we tell Russia is 'Let's resolve this issue between ourselves and within its boundaries. Let's not make others happy by destroying our whole relationship," Erdogan said.
"Russia is important for Turkey as much as Turkey is important for Russia. Both countries cannot afford to give up on each other."
Putin, who has branded the incident a "stab in the back", is yet to agree to talks.
The plane incident, one of the most serious clashes between a NATO member and Russia, has drawn a harsh response from Moscow.
Russia announced it was halting a visa-free regime for Turkish visitors, after threatening a raft of retaliatory economic measures to punish the NATO member state.
Earlier Saturday, Turkish foreign ministry warned its citizens off non-urgent and unnecessary travel to Russia.
Turkey says the Su-24 warplane strayed into its airspace and ignored repeated warnings, but Russia has insisted it did not cross the border from Syria and demanded an apology.

In March last year, just days before presidential elections, Taliban militants wearing burqas, an all-enveloping garment worn by women, unleashed rockets and gunfire on the election commission’s headquarters in Kabul.
Afghan forces gunned down the five gunmen who targeted the heavily-fortified building and IEC officials were unharmed after many hid for hours in reinforced safe-rooms.
The Taliban have waged a bloody insurgency against the Afghan government and NATO forces since being toppled from power in a 2001 US-led invasion.