In the Ghazni province, in central-eastern Afghanistan, a rickshaw bomb exploded near a Quran reading ceremony. The Afghan Ministry of the Interior reported that the explosion injured 20 people and killed at least 15 others, including 11 under the age of 18. The investigation suggested that the blast originated from a rickshaw driven by a vendor who had gathered a group of kids around him. The attack has not yet been claimed, but the Taliban involvement is highly suspected. On their part, the Taliban have denied any responsibility for the attack and claimed that the explosive device was brought by one of the kids who tried to sell it to the vendor.
The Ghazni province is one of the most unstable provinces in the country because of the high control that the Taliban retain over this territory. The latter, indeed, control half of the districts in the province, while those not yet under their control are highly disputed. The past months have witnessed an increase in terrorist attacks by the Taliban, most of them carried out with small explosive devices placed under vehicles.
The negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government hosted in Qatar represent a major progress towards the end of a 19-year war. These talks are a continuation of the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan between the Taliban and the United States, signed in February 2020. The agreement envisages the withdrawal of American troops from the country in exchange for the Taliban’s commitment to counter Al-Qaeda’s operation in their territory. The agreement between the two parties also provides for the opening of talks with the Afghan government, with which the Taliban had previously refused to negotiate. However, the ongoing talks have not interrupted the violence, which has increased in the past months, continuing to create terror in the country.
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Author: Carla Leonetti; Editor: Francesca Mencuccini
