Security forces open fire at Kabul protest

Afghan security forces opened fire on Wednesday to thousands of protesters marched coffins containing the decapitated bodies of seven civilians and wanted to enter the Presidential Palace.

Eyewitnesses say that the fires by security forces left six wounded but failed to disperse protestors.

Broadcasts on Ariananews TV showed protesters clambering on top of the walls of the compound and security forces with riot shields moving into position.

Local broadcaster Ariana News later said Afghan police forces had cut its live feed from the scene.

Amid anti-government slogans, protestors accused the National Unity Government (NUG) of incompetence; calling for resignation of government leaders.

They demand government to launch a widespread operation and punish the perpetrators of this bloody incident.

Demonstrators gathered in west Kabul and walked through the rain bearing the coffins draped in green to the gates of the presidential palace, where organizers said they were planning to stage a sit-in until their demands were met by the government.

The bodies of the seven were brought 380 kilometers (240 miles) to Kabul from Zabul on Tuesday. Protesters held an overnight vigil before beginning their march early Wednesday.

The killings in the southern province of Zabul occurred amid fighting between rival Taliban factions and Islamic State militants that has underlined the risk of further fragmentation, complicating any reopening of the peace process and creating the risk of more generalized anarchy.