A suicide vehicle bomb targeting a convoy in the Afghan capital has killed a dozen people, including three American contractors, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation say.
A wave of attacks on the Afghan army and police and U.S. special forces in Kabul have killed at least 50 people and wounded hundreds, dimming hopes that the Taliban might be weakened by a leadership struggle after their longtime leader’s death.
The attacks took place in the Shawal area of the North Waziristan tribal region, hours after a suicide attack killed 18 people, including the home minister of the northeastern Punjab province.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani excoriated Pakistan on Monday about a recently occurred insurgent attacks in the capital city of Afghanistan killing at least 56.
The new Taliban leader scored an important victory Thursday, however, when al Qaeda boss Ayman al-Zawahiri – one of the most prominent jihadists in the world – pledged allegiance to the Taliban.
Pakistan, which is believed to have strong influence over the Taliban, had been mediating peace talks launched last month, but postponed them indefinitely after the announcement of Mullah Omar’s death.
A vehicle bomb exploded at the entrance Kabul’s the global airport Monday, killing at least five people in the latest bloodshed following a 24-hour blitz of Taliban bombings and attacks last week.
The acknowledgment, made in a statement released by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, came a day after Afghanistan’s government announced that the reclusive Islamic cleric had died in April 2013.
The Taliban are stepping up their summer offensive, launched in late April, amid a bitter leadership dispute following the announcement of the death of longtime supremo Mullah Omar.
The Taliban issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack on the base. A suicide bomber targeted members of an irregular anti-Taliban militia, killing 25 people, according to a local police spokesman.
“A suicide auto bomb attack at the entrance of Hamid Karzai worldwide Airport and has caused casualties both on civilians and security forces”, Danish said.
It was one of three attacks to shock the capital Friday. Most injuries were light, caused by splintered glass, but dozens of people remained in the hospital on Saturday morning.