A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a voter registration center in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday, killing at least 57 people and injuring more than 100, in the most serious attack yet on preparations for legislative elections which are due to take place in October. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on a project of key importance to the credibility of President Ashraf Ghani’s government, which has been under international pressure to ensure long-delayed parliamentary polls take place this year. ISIS mouthpiece said a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt had targeted the center, which is in the Dashte Barchi, an area of western Kabul inhabited by many members of the mainly Shi’ite Hazara minority. Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said a bomber on foot approached the center where officials were issuing identity cards as part of the registration process for around 10 million voters across Afghanistan. Registration began this month. President Ghani issued a statement condemning the attack and said it “cannot divert us from our aims or weaken this national democratic process”. A spokesman for the ministry of public health said at least 57 people were confirmed dead and 119 wounded, but the total could still rise. The explosion destroyed cars and shattered windows in nearby buildings. Images from the scene show blood-stained documents and photographs on the floor. Abandoned shoes and broken glass litter the area and nearby vehicles are riddled with holes. There have already been at least four attacks on such centers since voter registration got underway a week ago. The legislative elections later this year will be followed by a presidential poll in 2019. Tadamichi Yamamoto, the senior United Nations official in Afghanistan issued a statement condemning the attack. “Compounding the callous disregard for the lives of civilians, the killing appears to be part of a wholly unacceptable effort by extremists to deter Afghan citizens from carrying out their constitutional right to take part in elections,” he said. Also, an official source at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the kingdom strongly condemned Sundays attack. The source reaffirmed the kingdom’s solidarity and support for Afghanistan in their fight against terrorism and extremism. They also offered their condolences to the victims’ families, as well as the Afghan government and people, wishing the injured a speedy recovery. According to UN figures, more than 750 people have been killed or maimed in suicide attacks and bombings by militant groups during the three months to March ahead of an expected start of the Taliban’s usual spring offensive.BITTER REACTION Afghanistan’s international partners have insisted that the elections should be held this year before a presidential vote due in 2019, although there has been widespread skepticism that they will go ahead. More than 7,000 voter registration centers have been set up across Afghanistan to handle about 10 million registrations in a process that has been repeatedly disrupted by technical and organizational problems. Officials had pledged tight security to ensure the process proceeded safely. But those caught by Sunday’s attack voiced frustration at what many Kabul residents see as government shortcomings in securing the capital. “They should be keeping the country safe, if they can’t, someone else should be in their place,” said Sajeda, who was wounded in the blast along with three other members of her family as they lined up for their cards. The voter registration process, designed to reduce the electoral fraud that has marred past ballots, began this month but there have already been several security incidents. On Sunday, a roadside bomb near a registration center in the northern city of Pul-i Khumri killed six members of a family and wounded three, although there was no indication that the incident was directly linked to the Kabul attack. Last week, two police officers in the eastern city of Jalalabad were killed outside a voter registration center, while a voter center in the central province of Ghor was burned down last week and electoral officials briefly abducted. The vote could be postponed to next year if registration of voters, many of whom do not have national identity cards, is not completed before winter sets. Parliament is still sitting three years after its term officially expired and further delays would seriously weaken already fragile confidence in the political system. There was an additional scare on Sunday when a NATO military convoy in Kabul accidentally hit and injured a child and triggered a protest that police dispersed by firing into the air. A NATO spokesman said the child had been taken to a hospital and was in a stable condition.