Kabul: Taliban militants blew up the Afghan defence minister’s home in capital Kabul in a bomb blast, leaving eight dead. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accepted responsibility for the attack. ‘The attack is the beginning of the retaliatory operations against the circles and leaders of the Kabul administration who are ordering attacks and the bombing of different parts of the country’, Mujahid threatened. Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has denounced the attack. At the same time, the UNSC made clear that the rule of Taliban, resorting to violence in Afghanistan, will not receive its recognition.
On Tuesday night, there was a big explosion at the official residence of interim Afghan defence minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. Taliban militants rammed an explosive-laden car near the house. Although the defence minister is unhurt, his guards are seriously injured. Clashes were ongoing between the Afghan forces and the Taliban for nearly five hours after the blast. The Taliban spokesman Mujahid has accepted responsibility for the explosion.
Mujahid acknowledged that the blast was carried out during an important meeting of the Afghan Defence Ministry. ‘This is not the last attack on the Ghani government. In the future, key leaders and allies will be targeted,’ Mujahid threatened. At the same time, Zabihullah Mujahid also warned that the interests of Western nations supporting the Afghan government were not safe.
Mujahid’s warning has made evident that the Taliban has suffered heavy casualties due to Afghanistan military action. The Afghan army has intensified its attacks on the Taliban in the past few weeks. At least 274 Taliban militants were killed in the Afghan army operations in the last 24 hours. These are said to include the ones that were targeted during airstrikes on Kandahar, Helmand and Jawzjan.
The Afghan army is receiving tremendous support from the locals in their operations against the Taliban. Videos have surfaced, showing people taking to streets and shouting slogans against the Taliban in the capital Kabul, Helmand’s capital Lashkargah and other key cities. Ministers from the Ghani administration have also participated in the protests. Also, according to reports, women have taken up rifles in the fight against the Taliban in some areas.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry has blamed Pakistan for the terrorist attacks and unrest in the country. Furthermore, the ministry accused the Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) from Pakistan of launching attacks on Afghan cities with the Taliban’s support. Moreover, French analyst Fabian Boussart has asserted that 170 Pakistani terrorists captured the Afghan military base in Nuristan.
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