AFGHAN TERROR
Car bomb targets civilians
A massive car bomb killed eight people and wounded 53 in Afghanistan’s western Herat province, the latest in what the UN called an “alarming” increase in attacks targeting civilians in the war-torn country.
No one has claimed responsibility for the late Friday attack, which saw the bomb explode near a police station. Local officials blamed Taliban insurgents. President Ashraf Ghani also pointed his finger at the Taliban.
The death toll is expected to rise, as 10 of the injured were in critical condition.
One among the dead and 11 of the injured were Afghan Security Forces personnel. Several women and children were killed and dozens more were wounded, Herat Governor Sayed Abdul Wahid Qatali said.
The bomb destroyed 14 homes and multiple shops. Rescuers rushed to the scene to help people trapped under the rubble.
Just hours later, UN Security Council officials at a press briefing in New York condemned an “alarming” increase in attacks in Afghanistan targeting civilians, which continue despite sporadic talks in Qatar between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
“The members of Security Council called for an immediate end to those targeted attacks and stressed the urgent and imperative need to bring the perpetrators to justice,” officials said.
There were 8,820 civilian casualties in 2020, according to a report released by the UN mission in Afghanistan last month.
A proposed peace deal offered by the United States calls for an interim “peace government” to lead a post-war Afghanistan to elections and constitutional reforms.
The United States is reviewing the deal the Trump administration signed with the Taliban, which calls for the final withdrawal of the remaining 2,500 US troops from Afghanistan by May 1.
In a sternly worded letter to Ghani last weekend pressing for progress on making peace with the Taliban, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said all options, including the withdrawal, are still on the table.