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AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT-ATTACK-NATO,LEAD
Four Afghans killed in Kabul suicide blast
KABUL, May 31, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – At least four Afghans were killed and four
US troops lightly wounded when a car bomber attacked a US military convoy in
Kabul on Friday, officials said.
The blast, which was claimed by the Taliban, occurred around 8:40 am (0410
GMT) when an explosives-laden vehicle drove into the convoy that was
travelling in eastern Kabul, according to interior ministry spokesman Nasrat
Rahimi.
“Unfortunately in the attack, four of our countrymen were martyred and
three others wounded — they were passers-by,” Rahimi said.
A spokesman for Resolute Support, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan,
said four US service members had suffered minor injuries.
When US forces move about in Kabul, they typically travel in tall, heavily
reinforced tactical vehicles that can provide good protection against bombs.
Known as MRAPs, for Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected, the vehicles are
sturdy but present a very visible target.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgent group was behind
the attack, which he claimed to have killed “10 officers and soldiers of
invading forces”.
The Taliban frequently exaggerate claims after attacks.
The blast came one day after an Islamic State suicide bomber blew himself
up outside an Afghan army military academy, killing at least six people.
It also followed a meeting between the Taliban and Afghan opposition
figures in Moscow this week that yielded no tangible results.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had proposed a nationwide ceasefire at the
start of the holy month of Ramadan, but the Taliban rejected the offer and
violence continues apace across the country.
BSS/AFP/RY/1330 hrs