Suicide bomber kills three in Kabul blast
A suicide bomber killed at least three people and wounded 15 others after detonating explosives near a military outpost in Kabul on Wednesday, an official confirmed, in the first attack to rock the Afghan capital in weeks.
Interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian confirmed the toll, calling the blast “a crime by the enemy of Afghanistan against civilians during the month of Ramadan”.
The attack appeared to target an Afghan special forces camp on the outskirts of Kabul, a security source told AFP.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident, but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they were investigating whether their fighters were behind the attack.
The blast comes as violence has surged across Afghanistan, with the UN reporting earlier this week that attacks spiked in the country following the signing of a landmark US and Taliban agreement in late February that was supposed to lay the groundwork for a peace process.
Recent attacks have mostly been limited to rural areas and small towns. Under the US-Taliban deal, the insurgents have agreed not to attack cities.
The agreement established a framework for bringing to an end America’s longest war following the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime only for them to re-emerge and launch a deadly insurgency.
But planned talks between the Kabul government and Taliban have derailed in recent weeks.
Dozens of Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters have been dying almost daily with civilian casualties rising across the country as both sides ramp up operations.
Kabul has been spared most of the violence. However, a string of attacks targeting minority groups proves the capital remains vulnerable to militants. (AFP)
