A number of civil society activists on Sunday gathered in remembrance out front of the popular Kabul Lebanese restaurant that was attacked by Taliban militants Friday night, leaving 21 dead, including 13 foreign nationals.
Shouting the slogan "say no to insurgency," the activists condemned the attack, which was said to target foreign officials who often visited the restaurant in downtown Wazir Akbar Khan, near a number of embassies. However, Friday's attack left mostly civilians dead.
"The aim of this gathering is to say no to terrorism and condemn terrorists, and to deliver a message to the terrorist, the Taliban and their allies that Afghanistan will never go be as they want, Afghanistan will move forward," civil society activist Bari Salam said.
The attack on Friday night was one of the most deadly attacks on foreign civilians in Afghanistan since the war with the Taliban began after they were ousted from power by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
The Independent Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan (IHRCA) also condemned the attack.
"Friday night's incident was really the most bloody and brutal attack in Kabul in recent months, and it showed that living in the capital is still challenging and there is no safety necessarily for foreign citizens, guests and Afghan citizens," Chief Executive of IHRCA Musa Mahmoudi said.
Friday night's attack, which included a suicide bomber and a number of other Taliban gunmen storming the small restaurant, marked an ominous start to 2014, after last year saw one of the bloodiest fighting season since the war began.
On Sunday, at the gathering, activists walked from the restaurant to the United Nations office in Kabul and released a resolution calling on the government to change its policies in fighting the insurgency and do more to support the families of victims of insurgent attacks.
The activists asked the United Nations to continue to support Afghanistan's latest achievements and to not abandon the country to fend for itself in the coming years.
NATO troops are expected to pull out of Afghanistan at the end of this year. Whether or not a residual force of foreign troops will stay behind to continue to train and advise the Afghan forces, as well as oversee the use of aid money, remains to be seen.