Kabul Terror Attacks Continue

Six people, including a British guard, were killed during a suicide bomb attack on a convoy near the Afghan capital of Kabul. Foreign Secretary, Phillip Hammond, said that two embassy workers died during the attack, which the Taliban claimed responsibility for. Both the dead employees were confirmed as G4S security guards, and the city’s police chief has confirmed that the city remains an area where unexpected attacks can occur at any time, just like the one in question.

Kabul has come under fire from a series of attacks in recent weeks, especially following the announcement that troops from a number of security services would be left behind to ensure the security of the country’s capital. Although the majority of troops are set to withdraw following 13 years of fighting against the Taliban, the Afghan president Ashraf Ghani consented to allow foreign forces to stay behind in order to support and train Afghan troops. There are now fears that violence could escalate and eventually get out of control as security forces leave the country.

On 27th November, a suicide attack was conducted on a British embassy convoy, leaving five dead and a further 20 individuals wounded. The Taliban claimed that they were responsible for the attack, and said that they had targeted foreign invading forces. The British embassy confirmed that it was there vehicle hit in the attack, that there were no diplomats on board the vehicle, but that a number of employees were being treated for their wounds.

Later on the same day there was another attack in the capital. Three Taliban fighters attacked a guesthouse in the Wazir Akbar Khan district. One of the fighters blew himself up while Nepalese guards engaged the two remaining fighters. The attackers were eventually killed. Despite the increase in violent attacks, and the threat that more could be around the corner, the Prime Minister David Cameron defended the decision to withdraw troops from the country, while condemning the suicide bomb attack as being “appallingâ€.

A source for the Prime Minister said that it was the Prime Minister’s aim to bring stability to the country and to free Afghanistan of the training camps that had become a haven for terrorists and for much of the terrorist action. These most recent attacks come following a series of similar attacks that have left dozens of people dead and hundreds more injured. It is likely that more attacks will occur in the coming weeks and months, and that the Taliban are responsible for the deaths.

Afghan Prime Minister Ashraf Ghani became Prime Minister after agreeing to a power sharing deal with the opposition leader, and has said that he is open to peace talks with the Taliban in a bid to try and end the hostility and violence that has not only wracked Kabul but large areas of the country for decades. Attacks like these are unlikely to lead to peace talks, and the news of security forces staying behind in the country will only serve to further fuel disagreements.
 
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