On Tuesday morning, a suicide bombing took place outside of Marshal Fahim Military Academy in Kabul, killing two civilians and four military personnel according to the Ministry of Interior Affairs. Twelve other people were wounded, including five civilians. At the moment, the Taliban has denied involvement and no other group has claimed responsibility. This is the first major assault in Afghanistan’s capital in months. The last large scale attack in the city was a car bomb in November 2019 that killed 13 and wounded 20. 

The academy has been the target of attacks before; a separate suicide bombing claimed by the Taliban occurred in May 2019. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack according to a statement released by his office, stating that 

“The great nation of Afghanistan wants an end to violence, an end to the war, a ceasefire and an enduring peace,” as quoted in a Reuters article covering the bombing. 

Washington and the Taliban have been negotiating a possible deal for American troops to leave the country. Today, the Taliban controls nearly half of the country. A deal was almost reached in September 2019 before President Trump pulled out of it, citing continuing Taliban violence. Deals have since resumed in Qatar in December but amidst continuing Taliban violence. A recent U.S watchdog reported that clashes spiked to record levels in the last quarter of 2019. 

To read more, visit: 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-blast/six-killed-in-suicide-blast-in-kabul-taliban-deny-attack-idUSKBN2050BW

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/kabul-hit-suicide-attack-casualties-feared-reports-200211041316764.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/suicide-bombing-shatters-relative-calm-in-kabul-killing-six/2020/02/11/750a22ae-4c8b-11ea-967b-e074d302c7d4_story.html

Author: Rachel Warner; Editor: Teagan Foti