A pair of bombing attacks in Afghanistan on Saturday killed at least 27 people and wounded over 60 others. One of the attacks targeted a busload of Afghan soldiers, killing six troops and five civilian employees in Kabul. Four other civilians were killed, and 31 people were wounded.
The other bombing, in Kunar Province, was a suicide bombing assassination of a Pashtun tribal leader. The attacker approached on foot and detonated next to the elder, who has been leading anti-Taliban movements in the region, killing him and 11 other people. 36 were wounded in that attack.
The Taliban confirmed they were behind the strike in Kabul, but have yet to claim credit for the Kunar incident. The attacks are raising further questions about planned meetings aimed at getting the peace process going, set for early March.
The talk of the bombings imperiling the peace talks is likely overstated, as there was no advanced agreement by either side to halt attacks in the lead-up to the meeting, nor indeed is it apparent that those talks are going to lead to a serious resumption of talks.