Afghanistan: Soldiers Killed in Wave of Attacks

A wave of attacks across Afghanistan has left more than 25 people dead, most of them soldiers, officials say.

In the worst incident, Taliban militants stormed an army post in the western province of Farah, killing 22 soldiers.

A suicide attack in the capital Kabul left at least three security officers dead.

There has been a surge in militant attacks in recent months and the army is often targeted.

Some analysts see it as a response to a new, more aggressive strategy announced by US President Donald Trump last year, which committed the US army to an open-ended conflict, with the focus on “killing terrorists”.

Early on Saturday, Taliban forces mounted an overnight attack on a base in Farah.

Weapons were seized and the Afghan military said the Taliban had incurred a “lot of casualties”.

In Kabul, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in an area dotted with key diplomatic buildings.

“I was driving nearby when I heard a big explosion, the windows of my car were smashed. I saw several wounded people on the street near me,” a witness told Afghan channel Tolonews TV.

Jihadist group Islamic State said it carried out the attack, Reuters reported.

There were further suicide attacks in Helmand province in the south, leaving two army members dead, and others, including women and children, injured.

The Taliban control large swathes of Afghanistan – but IS militants hold sway in a much smaller number of districts.

However, both groups have demonstrated their ability to hit targets across the country.

They have often come into conflict with each other, too.

Source: BBC