Taliban claims responsibility for Kabul attack targeting Afghan defence minister

The Taliban on August 4 claimed responsibility for an attack on the acting Afghan defence minister and said that the assault was in retaliation for escalating government attacks on Taliban fighters. According to the Washington Post, acting defence minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi survived Tuesday’s attack unharmed as he was not present at the guesthouse when the assault took place. 

Hours after the car bomb attack, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said that the “suicide attack was in reaction to the actions of the Kabul regime” and those ordering attacks against innocent people, and bombings of civilian populations. 

Fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan forces has intensified in recent weeks as the Afghan military has attempted to retake territory after Taliban advances. ANI reported that nationwide, the Taliban now controls 223 districts, with 116 contested and the government holding 68. 17 of 34 provincial capitals are directly threatened by the Taliban.

As per reports, following the massive blast that rocked Kabul, blasts, explosions and gunfights also rocked the capital of Afghanistan in some of the most intense fightings in months. Afghan’s interior ministry said that at least eight civilians were killed and 20 were wounded. On Wednesday morning, another explosion took place near a facility of Afghanistan's main security agency in the capital, wounding two civilians and a security official, police said. 

Afghan forces stop Taliban attack on Salma Dam 

The same day, the Afghan forces, on the other hand, thwarted the Taliban’s attack on India-built Salma Dam in Herat Province. The Afghan government said that the terror group suffered “heavy casualties” and fled the area as a result of counter-attacks. While taking to Twitter, Afghan defence ministry spokesperson Fawad Aman said that the insurgent group attempted to attack on Salma Dam - popularly known as the India-Afghanistan friendship dam - however, they “failed” to destroy it. 

Meanwhile, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on August 2 said the country’s deteriorating situation in the face of the Taliban's advancements is due to the “sudden” decision of the United States to withdraw its troops. However, Ghani also added that his government had a plan to bring the situation under control within a period of six months. According to Ghani, the extremist group would not have moved towards peace unless the worsening security situation was curbed. 

(Image: Twitter/AP/Unsplash)