Blast kills 3 in Kabul amid peace talks
KABUL — A roadside bomb exploded in Afghanistan’s capital Sunday, killing at least three people in a vehicle. It was the latest attack to take place as government negotiators in Qatar resume peace talks with the Taliban.
Tariq Arian, spokesperson for the interior minister, said a spokesperson for the ministry’s public protection forces — a security force — was one of the three killed in the attack. One other person was wounded he said. No one immediately claimed responsibility.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks in the capital in recent months, including on educational institutions that killed 50 people, most of them students. IS has claimed responsibility for rocket attacks in December targeting the major U.S. base in Afghanistan. There were no casualties.
Taliban militants have meanwhile continued their insurgency against government forces while keeping their promise not to attack U.S. and NATO troops.
Sunday’s attack comes as Afghan negotiators are to resume talks with the Taliban aimed at ending decades of relentless conflict. Frustration and fear have grown over a spike in violence and both sides are blaming each other.
The stop-and-go talks between the Taliban and the government come amid growing doubt over a U.s.-taliban peace deal brokered by outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. An accelerated withdrawal of U.S. troops ordered by Trump means just 2,500 American soldiers will still be in Afghanistan when president-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20.
Biden has advocated for keeping a small intelligence-based presence in Afghanistan, but Taliban leaders have flatly rejected any foreign troops.
The attack comes after an airstrike Saturday that killed at least 12 civilians in western Nimroz province of Afghanistan, the officials said.
The Afghan Defence Ministry said in a statement that national defence and security forces conducted an operation on a check post of the Taliban located on the western highway where the insurgent group was “collecting extortion money from people.” The airstrike was carried out to support the operation, the statement said.
According to the statement, the Afghan Defence Ministry will investigate the civilian casualties.