KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Latest on the war in Afghanistan (all times local): 4:30 p.m. Afghan officials say a suicide bomber has…
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Latest on the war in Afghanistan (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
Afghan officials say a suicide bomber has targeted a training class in a private building in a Shiite neighborhood of Kabul, killing one person and setting off a gunbattle with security guards in the area.
Najib Danish, spokesman for the Interior Misnitry, says Wednesday’s attack took place in western Kabul, in the Dasht-i Barcha neighborhood.
Mohammad Asim, chief of the Kabul ambulance services, says one person was killed and 12 were wounded in the attack. The casualties were taken to a hospital.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Abdul Hossain Hossainzada, a Shiite community leader in western Kabul, told The Associated Press that the bomber apparently targeted the course, which was preparing students for university entrance exams. He says a gunbattle is now underway in the area.
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2:30 p.m.
An Afghan official says six children were killed when they tinkered with an unexploded rocket shell, causing it to blow up.
Sarhadi Zwak, spokesman for the governor of the eastern Laghman province, says the victims were girls, aged 10-12, who were gathering firewood on Wednesday. He blamed insurgents, saying the rockets they fire at Afghan security forces often harm civilians.
Afghanistan is littered with unexploded ordnance left by decades of war. It is also plagued by roadside bombs planted by insurgents, which are usually intended for security forces but often kill and wound civilians.
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11:15 a.m.
Afghan officials say a Taliban assault on two adjacent checkpoints in the northern Baghlan province has killed 30 soldiers and police.
Mohammad Safdar Mohseni, head of provincial council, says the insurgents set fire to the checkpoints after the attack late Tuesday in the Baghlan-I Markazi district. Dilawar Aymaq, a parliamentarian from Baghlan, confirmed the attack.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack.
The resurgent Taliban carry out near-daily attacks against Afghan security forces, who have struggled to combat the insurgency since the U. S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014.
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8:30 a.m.
An Afghan official says Taliban attacks have killed four police in southern Zabul province.
Provincial police chief Mustafa Mayar says the Taliban attacked security posts in the Zabul capital of Qalat early Wednesday, killing the four and wounding three other officers.
He says the gunbattle lasted several hours during which the Taliban used artillery and heavy guns. The attack also left seven rebels dead and five others wounded.
