At least six killed in suicide attack claimed by Islamic State
KABUL: A suicide bomber struck near an anti-taliban rally in Kabul on Monday, leaving at least six people dead, as the insurgents killed at least 25 Afghan commandos, 50 police and soldiers elsewhere in the country over the past 24 hours.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place about 500 metres from where hundreds of minority Shias had gathered to denounce the latest Taliban attacks in Ghazni districts of Jaghuri and Malistan.
Dozens of elite commandos were among the casualties suffered by Afghan security forces as the Taliban claimed to have taken a district in Ghazni, stepping up battlefield pressure while seeking a political settlement with the US. Officials said about 25 Afghan commandos were killed in cen- tral Ghazni, where the Taliban have been battling militia from the mainly Shia Hazara community in the districts of Malistan and Jaghori, a conflict coloured by hostility between ethnic Hazaras and Pashtuns.
US forces were providing assistance, including intelligence and close air support, a spokeswoman from US military headquarters in Kabul said.
At the same time as the Ghazni fighting on Sunday, about 50 police and soldiers were killed around Farah when Taliban fighters attacked checkposts in the city and nearby districts, regional officials said.
US commanders have said they expect the Taliban to step up military efforts to better their position while they maintain contacts with US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad aimed at opening peace negotiations. Khalilzad met President Ashraf Ghani and other officials at the weekend.