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34 Killed in Afghan Suicide Bombings 11/29 10:29
At least 34 people were killed on Sunday in two separate suicide bombings in
Afghanistan that targeted a military base and a provincial chief, officials
said.
GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AP) -- At least 34 people were killed on Sunday in two
separate suicide bombings in Afghanistan that targeted a military base and a
provincial chief, officials said.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks, which took
place as Afghan government representatives and the Taliban hold face-to-face
talks in Qatar for the first time to end the country's decades-long war.
In eastern Ghazni province, 31 soldiers were killed and 24 others wounded
when the attacker drove a military humvee full of explosives onto an army
commando base before detonating the car bomb, according to an official in
Afghanistan's National Security Council, who spoke anonymously because he was
not permitted to speak directly to the media.
Ghazni's provincial health department chief, Zahir Shah Nikmal, also
confirmed the death toll and casualty figures from the attack.
Afghanistan's Defense Ministry released a statement claiming 10 soldiers
were killed and nine wounded. The ministry also offered a different account of
what happened than the official at the National Security Council, saying the
vehicle exploded near the army base after security forces opened fire on the
car. It was not immediately clear why there was a discrepancy.
Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said a suicide bombing took place,
though he did not provide further details.
The soldiers stationed at the base were responsible for conducting night
raids, providing support to the army and police forces under siege, and taking
part in large-scale operations against the Taliban and Islamic State group in
eastern and southern provinces of Afghanistan.
The base is located in a desert region, about three miles (five kilometers)
outside the city of Ghazni. Parts of the base and a nearby police building were
partially destroyed by the powerful explosion. Windows were also blown out in
buildings of the city near to where the bombing occurred.
In southern Afghanistan, another suicide car bomber targeted the convoy of a
provincial council chief in Zabul province, killing at least three people and
wounding 21 others, including children, according to provincial spokesman Gul
Islam Sial.
The council chief, Attajan Haqbayat, survived Sunday's attack with minor
injuries, although one of his bodyguards was among those killed, said
provincial police spokesman Hikmatullah Kochai.
There has been a sharp rise in violence this year and a surge of attacks by
the Taliban against Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces since the start
of peace talks in September. There have also been deadly attacks this month
claimed by Islamic State militants in Afghanistan, including a horrific attack
on Kabul University that killed 22 people, most of them students.
The U.S., meanwhile, plans to withdraw an estimated 2,500 troops before the
middle of January, leaving about 2,000 soldiers in Afghanistan as part of
America's longest war. Afghan officials, however, have expressed concerns that
a rapid reduction in American troops could strengthen the negotiating position
of the Taliban.
The U.S. has been pressing in recent weeks for a reduction in violence,
while the Afghan government has been demanding a cease-fire. The Taliban have
refused, saying a cease-fire will be part of negotiations, although the group
have held to their promise not to attack U.S. and NATO troops.
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