Foreign soldier dead at Afghan base

A wave of attacks on Afghan police, army and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation installations in Kabul has killed at least 42 people and wounded hundreds, dashing hopes that Taliban insurgents might be weakened by a leadership struggle after news of their longtime leader’s death last week.

Mansour took over as leader after the movement’s reclusive founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, was revealed to have died two years ago.

One North Atlantic Treaty Organisation service member was killed during an attack on a base housing America Special Operations Forces outside Kabul, the coalition said on Friday, NBC News reported.

In a Saturday statement issued by NATO’s Resolute Support (RS) mission in Afghanistan, the alliance stated the fatal attack on the military facility was waged on Friday night, which also left behind casualties on the militants.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the police academy, but no one has claimed responsibility for the attack at Camp Integrity of the Afghan army compound.

Military jets were heard flying over the centre of Kabul shortly after the Camp Integrity explosions.

The escalating violence demonstrates Mullah Mansour’s attempt to boost his image among Taliban cadres and drive attention away from internal divisions over his leadership, observers say.

At least two enemy forces were killed, the The worldwide Security Assistance Force said.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban – who were toppled from power in the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan – told AFP the insurgent group was behind the attack.

The president’s office said 47 women and 33 children were among the casualties in that attack.

Soldiers erected a security cordon around the military base close to Shah Shaheed, a largely middle-class civilian residential area with no major foreign presence.