As of Saturday, a deadly 24 hours in Afghanistan has seen more than 44 people killed and hundreds wounded in a wave of attacks on a military base and other sites in Kabul.
Among those killed were dozens of civilians and service members, including one NATO soldier. The attacks targeted a police academy, a residential area, and the military base Camp Integrity, all in Kabul.
The nationality of the NATO soldier has not yet been released. One international service member and eight Afghan contractors were killed in the attack on Camp Integrity, with several others wounded. The bombing of the police academy killed at least 20 and wounded 24, when a man dressed in a police uniform reportedly detonated an explosive vest as recruits lined up for classes.
The Guardian reports:
While the truck bomb exploded outside a Ministry of Defence base, the exact purpose remains unclear, and the timing of the attack [at 1am] was unusual. According to a security source speaking to the Guardian, the US military frequently visits the Afghan army base in Shah Shaheed, which also contains a facility housing several high-level detainees.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahed, said the group was responsibile for the attack on the police academy, but no one has yet claimed the truck bomb attack or the assault on Camp Integrity.
Reuters adds:
Previously seen as open to reviving peace talks, the Taliban have since pledged to press on with the insurgency that has killed and wounded thousands this year.
....The conflict between the Western-backed government and the Taliban has intensified since the NATO combat mission ended last year, but Afghan security forces and civilians have borne the brunt of the violence.
There have been almost 5,000 civilian casualties in Afghanistan in the first half of the year, U.N. figures show.
