Three bombings were reported today in the Afghan capital city of Kabul, in the area around the Defense Ministry. The first blast was a remote-triggered IED, which gathered security forces into the area, and led to a major suicide attack in the same area.
A third blast, described as a car bombing, was reported shortly thereafter, and locals reported hearing gunfire from the area around the embassy district, though officials have yet to confirm any of the shooting. All told, at least 30 people were killed and 91 wounded.
Security forces appear to have borne a significant portion of the casualties in the attacks, with one of the city’s district police chiefs reported among the slain in the bombings. The Taliban claimed a much higher death toll, saying they killed 58 officers and commanders in the strikes.
President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement attempting to downplay the incident, suggesting that the Taliban attacks proved that they had “lost their ability to fight the security forces.” Despite this, there is still very much such fighting ongoing, with the Taliban still controlling substantial territory nationwide.
The war over there is just going swimmingly, eh?