[Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article described the assassination of politician Abdul Raziq as “unofficial confirmation” of a spring crisis, which is incorrect.]
Western diplomats and nongovernmental aid groups painted a grim picture of Afghanistan on Sunday as the spring presidential election campaign was in full swing and a spate of bombings claimed the lives of civilians throughout the country.
Officials said if initial figures on death tolls on Saturday were correct, at least 200 people were killed and 1,000 wounded in attacks that targeted election parties, crowds of supporters, and offices of election organizers.
It was the deadliest day of violence in the Afghan capital in more than three years, making it the top violence story in the Middle East.
The problem is being driven by an internal splintering within the Taliban, which itself is overrunning territory in other parts of the country, including the north and west. Over the past three years, a growing number of insurgents have broken with their close ideological ally, the Islamic State, and are now fighting the government and its United States backers.
That has led to a steady deterioration in security in several big provinces.
“Here in Kabul, any time you open the newspapers, there is another attack, and it seems like there is one every day,” said Abdul Shumam Dost, a surgeon who runs an aid group, Prosthetics Without Borders. “I feel tired.”
Mr. Dost made clear that he was speaking as an Afghan and not as an American.
