This archive report was first published on 26 July 2019.
On Thursday, a series of devastating bombings rocked the Afghan capital of Kabul, leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake. The attacks occurred as the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine General Joseph Dunford, was meeting with top US and NATO officials in the city.
According to officials, eight employees of the ministry of mines and petroleum were killed and 27 wounded in an attack on their bus. The victims included five women and a child.
Minutes after the initial blast, a suicide bomber detonated himself near the bus attack site, killing at least seven people and wounding 20. A third blast occurred when a car was blown up by unknown militants.
“First a magnetic bomb pasted to a minibus exploded, then a suicide bomber blew himself near the bus attack site and the third blast happened when a car was blown up by unknown militants,” said Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman for the interior ministry in Kabul.
The Taliban, which has been fighting to restore strict Islamic law in Afghanistan since its ouster in 2001, claimed responsibility for the car bomb alone. However, government officials did not confirm the Taliban's claim.
General Dunford was in Kabul to meet with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who is leading talks with Taliban militants to end the 18-year-long war. The US is seeking a deal that would see foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan in return for security guarantees from the Taliban.
As the peace talks continue, Afghan security experts say the insurgents are increasing attacks to gain greater leverage in the negotiations. The eighth round of talks is expected to begin this month in Qatar.
Separately, the Taliban clashed with Afghan forces in the northern province of Takhar, seeking to secure control over checkpoints and capture several districts. Both sides claimed to have inflicted heavy damage on their opponents.
Additionally, a roadside bomb hit a wedding party in the eastern province of Nangarhar, killing six women and three children. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
