Afghanistan highway blast kills 35 passengers on bus

HERAT: A roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Wednesday killed at least 35 people travelling on a bus, including children, and injured 27, officials said.

Security has been deteriorating across Afghanistan this year, with the Taliban and Islamic State fighters mounting near-daily attacks on Afghan forces, government employees and civilians.

The blast on the main road linking the provincial capitals of Herat and Kandahar happened in the Ab Khorma area of Farah province, said provincial police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib.

“The bomb was freshly planted by the Taliban insurgents to target Afghan and foreign security forces,” he said, adding most of the dead or injured were women and children. No militant group claimed responsibility. Farah is on the border of Iran. A Taliban official denied responsibility and said their fighters were not responsible for planting landmines in the area. “The blast has not been conducted by the Taliban, we are investigating the incident,” said spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

US PEACE ENVOY TO RESUME TALKS

The explosion came amid a US push for peace with the Taliban that after several slow months now appears to be making progress.

US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who spent more than a week in Kabul, on Wednesday left Afghanistan for Pakistan before heading to Doha, where he is expected to hold a fresh round of talks with the Taliban.

After nearly 18 gruelling years, the US wants to quit Afghanistan in return for various security guarantees from the Taliban, including that the insurgents won’t let terror groups operate in the country.

Khalilzad, who was formerly US ambassador to Afghanistan, said his visit to Kabul had been his “most productive” yet in his new role. “I’m off to Doha, with a stop in Islamabad. In Doha, if the Taliban do their part, we will do ours, and conclude the agreement we have been working on,” Khalilzad tweeted.