Experts, residents say measure punishes workers and more needs to be done to halt violence KABUL: Afghan authorities have imposed an indefinite ban on the use of motorcycles in Kabul in an effort to curb drive-by killings amid a spike in targeted murders in the capital. The ban, which took effect from Tuesday, follows a string of assaults and murders of officials by armed men on motorbikes. Gunmen often shoot victims from the back of a motorcycle before making a speedy getaway in heavy traffic. “The ban is indefinite. We will review the security situation and make a necessary announcement when the time comes,” Tariq Arian, an interior ministry spokesman, told Arab News. Security officials and delivery riders, who are seeing a heavy demand amid Kabul’s coronavirus lockdown, are exempt from the ban provided they carry a special permit. At least 10 security and civil officials have been killed in targeted attacks by assailants on motorbikes in Kabul in the past two weeks, while dozens of security officers have died in similar incidents in recent months. “The reason for the ban is security related, and we are trying our best to fully implement it,” Ferdous Farmarz, a Kabul police spokesman, told Arab News. Strict enforcement measures include confiscation of motorcycles, he said. Besides Taliban insurgents, individuals and groups have been using similar tactics, with a spike in targeted crimes reported across the country as the government’s control on strongholds declines. However, officials said the latest restrictions in Kabul are not linked to Taliban advances or the rise in attacks in surrounding areas since Washington began a phased withdrawal of its troops on May 1. Authorities have placed similar bans on motorcycles in several provinces in recent years, with the most recent — imposed in April last year in the capital of nearly 6 million people — lifted a few months ago. Experts say that while such measures might prove effective, more needs to be done to curb crimes. “The ban will have its impact for sure, because many of the targeted attacks and transportation of arms, explosives are conducted on motorbikes,” Wahidullah Ghazikhail, a Kabul-based political analyst, told Arab News. “But the government has to increase its surveillance and intelligence information, and rely on people to help it with tips and information,” he added. The ban on motorcycles and scooters has not gone down well with residents, several of whom complained about the government’s decision. “I am a baker, and I have to come to work from 15 kilometers away before dawn when there are no taxis. If there are, it will cost me more than my daily wage to make it even one way,” Khan Mohammad, a 48-year-old Kabul resident, told Arab News. “The scooter is the best and cheapest option for me and for thousands of others in Kabul. This ban is not fair,” he added. Mason Jan Agha, another resident, told Arab News that targeted crime cannot be curtailed by banning motorbikes alone since “some attacks have been carried out by people riding rickshaws or driving cars.” He said: “The government must ban those, too. Such policies will further upset people while there is deep poverty here already.”