Attackers hit Taliban; 5 die, 2 of them kids
KABUL, Afghanistan – Attackers struck Taliban vehicles in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, witnesses said, killing at least two fighters and three civilians in the latest violence since the group’s takeover of the country in mid-august.
In one attack, gunmen opened fire on a Taliban vehicle at a local gas station in the provincial capital of Jalalabad, killing two fighters and a gas station attendant, witnesses said. A child was also killed, they added.
Another child was killed and two Taliban were wounded in a separate attack – a bombing of another vehicle. Another bombing of a Taliban vehicle in Jalalabad also wounded a person nearby; it was unclear if that person was a Taliban member or a civilian. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing Taliban retribution.
No one claimed immediate responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks, although the Islamic State group, which is headquartered in eastern Afghanistan, has said it was behind similar attacks in Jalalabad last week that killed eight.
The Taliban are under pressure to contain IS militants, in part to make good on a promise to the international community that they will prevent the staging of terror attacks from Afghan soil.