Kabul: At least nine people have been killed in a bomb blast by terrorists in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Only hours before the attack, the Afghan Army had killed 176 Taliban militants in operations in 16 provinces, including Helmand. In addition, the Afghan Defense Ministry informed that the Al Qaeda commander had been killed. Meanwhile, the commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, US Army General Scott Miller, has warned that Taliban attacks in Afghanistan will escalate after the Doha talks fail.
Last week, the Afghan government and the Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire. There have been no attacks in Afghanistan during this period. Also, the Afghan government called on the Taliban to maintain a similar ceasefire henceforth. However, the Taliban rejected the Afghan government’s demand. The Afghan Army has since stepped up operations against the Taliban as well as Taliban-linked terrorist groups.
In the past 24 hours, the Afghan Army has carried out operations against the Taliban in provinces of Nangarhar, Maidan Wardak, Ghazni, Logar, Khost, Zabul, Kandahar, Badghis, Farah, Herat, Balkh, Kunduz, Helmand, Badakhshan, Baghlan and the capital Kabul, according to the Afghan Defense Ministry. A total of 176 Taliban militants were killed during the operations, while 112 others were injured. Besides, 251 Taliban militants had been killed, and 193 were wounded in operations carried out by the Army earlier on Tuesday, the Afghan Army announced. Therefore, the Afghan Army has killed more than 425 Taliban militants in the past two days.
The Taliban so far has not denied the claims made by the Afghan Defense Ministry. Thus, the Taliban appear to have suffered significant losses in the Afghan military crackdown. Even so, the Taliban have continued launching attacks against the Afghan people and the Army. At least nine people have been killed in a bomb blast on a vehicle launched by terrorists near the northern city of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province on Thursday. The dead also include women and children.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Afghan security forces suspect the Taliban’s hand behind it. Furthermore, 11 militants were killed in another Afghan Army operation in Helmand on Thursday afternoon. The Afghan Defense Ministry said a senior Al Qaeda commander, four of his associates and six Taliban militants were also killed.
The Taliban has backed out from talks with the Afghan government. It stated its position by saying that it will join the discussions in Qatar but will not form a coalition government with President Ghani. At the same time, local media have claimed that the Taliban have intensified attacks on the Afghan Army, police, government employees and women. The commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, US Army General Scott Miller, has also voiced concerns in an interview with a British news channel saying that the Taliban attacks may escalate in the near future.
In a rebuke to Pakistan, Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar said the country needs to take action instead of shouting slogans for peace and stability in Afghanistan. Only a few days ago, a Pakistani delegation was on tour in Afghanistan. Atmar’s remark came in response to the visit.
