The Taliban still haven’t announced the official start of the “spring offensive,” which normally comes in late April or early May, but that hasn’t stopped them from escalating the number of attacks they have launched nationwide.
Five major attacks nationwide, spanning from the far eastern frontier with Iran to the northwest have seen at least 24 people killed, and a number of others wounded. This brings the total death toll for April over 180, the highest single month so far this year, and the month is barely half over.
The largest death toll came in the eastern Herat Province, where a truck ran over a roadside bomb, detonating and killing seven civilians, including women and children. Other attacks included a checkpoint raid in Laghman, which killed four local police.
Other incidents were reported in the Jawzjan Province, where militants attacked a tribal elder and six Afghan soldiers were found slain. The slain included two officers and four enlisted men, and the details of their killing are not yet apparent.