AP, Kabul :
The death toll from a late-night Taliban suicide attack in the Afghan capital rose to 16 civilians today, with 119 people wounded, an official said. Angry Kabul residents climbed over the wall into the international compound, which has been targeted frequently, and set part of it on fire.
Thick smoke rose from the Green Village, home to several international organizations and guesthouses and often a target of attacks – a peril to nearby local residents as well.
“People were screaming and saying, ‘My children are trapped in the rubble,'” one witness, Faiz Ahmad, said. Nearby homes were shredded and the concrete blast wall, on the western side of the compound, had buckled. A large crater was left in the street.
The Taliban continue such attacks even as a US envoy says the militant group has reached a deal “in principle” with the US on ending America’s longest war, including a troop withdrawal that the Taliban already portray as their victory.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told The Associated Press that “we understand that peace talks are going on … but they must also understand that we are not weak and if we enter into talks … we enter from a strong position.”
He said the attack was a response to raids by US and Afghan forces on civilians in other parts of the country. While he acknowledged there should be less harm to civilians, he said they shouldn’t be living near such an important foreign compound.
Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said some 400 foreigners had been rescued after the suicide bomber targeted the compound
late on Monday. Five attackers were shot and killed by security forces after the bomber detonated a tractor packed with explosives, he said.
The attack occurred just hours after the US envoy briefed the Afghan government on an agreement “in principle” with the Taliban that would see 5,000 US troops withdraw from five bases in the country within 135 days of a final deal. Between 14,000 and 13,000 troops are currently in the country.
The Green Village also was hit by a suicide car bomber in January, again as the US envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, was visiting the capital to brief the Afghan government on his negotiations with the Taliban on ending nearly 18 years of fighting.
Hours before Monday’s attack, Khalilzad showed a draft deal to the Afghan president after declaring that they are “at the threshold of an agreement” following the end of the ninth round of US-Taliban talks in Qatar. The agreement still needs President Donald Trump’s approval.
There was no immediate comment from Khalilzad after the blast that was strongly condemned by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
Shaken Kabul residents question whether any agreement with the Taliban can be trusted, especially as foreign troops withdraw.
The Taliban carry out such attacks even as the militant group appears to be getting what it wants in a deal with the US – a troop withdrawal. The group wants all of the some 20,000 US and NATO troops out of Afghanistan immediately, while the US seeks a withdrawal in phases that would depend on the Taliban meeting certain conditions such as a reduction in violence.
Attacks have surged in recent months, including Taliban assaults on two provincial capitals over the weekend, as the group seeks to strengthen its negotiating position not only with the US but with the Afghan government in the even more challenging intra-Afghan talks that are meant to follow a US-Taliban deal on Afghanistan’s future. The Taliban have rejected talking with the government so far, dismissing it as a US puppet.
The death toll from a late-night Taliban suicide attack in the Afghan capital rose to 16 civilians today, with 119 people wounded, an official said. Angry Kabul residents climbed over the wall into the international compound, which has been targeted frequently, and set part of it on fire.
Thick smoke rose from the Green Village, home to several international organizations and guesthouses and often a target of attacks – a peril to nearby local residents as well.
“People were screaming and saying, ‘My children are trapped in the rubble,'” one witness, Faiz Ahmad, said. Nearby homes were shredded and the concrete blast wall, on the western side of the compound, had buckled. A large crater was left in the street.
The Taliban continue such attacks even as a US envoy says the militant group has reached a deal “in principle” with the US on ending America’s longest war, including a troop withdrawal that the Taliban already portray as their victory.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told The Associated Press that “we understand that peace talks are going on … but they must also understand that we are not weak and if we enter into talks … we enter from a strong position.”
He said the attack was a response to raids by US and Afghan forces on civilians in other parts of the country. While he acknowledged there should be less harm to civilians, he said they shouldn’t be living near such an important foreign compound.
Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said some 400 foreigners had been rescued after the suicide bomber targeted the compound
late on Monday. Five attackers were shot and killed by security forces after the bomber detonated a tractor packed with explosives, he said.
The attack occurred just hours after the US envoy briefed the Afghan government on an agreement “in principle” with the Taliban that would see 5,000 US troops withdraw from five bases in the country within 135 days of a final deal. Between 14,000 and 13,000 troops are currently in the country.
The Green Village also was hit by a suicide car bomber in January, again as the US envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, was visiting the capital to brief the Afghan government on his negotiations with the Taliban on ending nearly 18 years of fighting.
Hours before Monday’s attack, Khalilzad showed a draft deal to the Afghan president after declaring that they are “at the threshold of an agreement” following the end of the ninth round of US-Taliban talks in Qatar. The agreement still needs President Donald Trump’s approval.
There was no immediate comment from Khalilzad after the blast that was strongly condemned by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
Shaken Kabul residents question whether any agreement with the Taliban can be trusted, especially as foreign troops withdraw.
The Taliban carry out such attacks even as the militant group appears to be getting what it wants in a deal with the US – a troop withdrawal. The group wants all of the some 20,000 US and NATO troops out of Afghanistan immediately, while the US seeks a withdrawal in phases that would depend on the Taliban meeting certain conditions such as a reduction in violence.
Attacks have surged in recent months, including Taliban assaults on two provincial capitals over the weekend, as the group seeks to strengthen its negotiating position not only with the US but with the Afghan government in the even more challenging intra-Afghan talks that are meant to follow a US-Taliban deal on Afghanistan’s future. The Taliban have rejected talking with the government so far, dismissing it as a US puppet.
