Taliban militants have attacked an Afghan Army outpost, killing 18 government soldiers, as the group continues to gain ground. Meanwhile, a suicide bomber has killed three and injured five others in the capital.

“A large number of Taliban attacked an army outpost and we lost 18 soldiers and two were wounded,” defense ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said on Saturday, as quoted by Reuters. The attack took place in the western province of Farah.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the Friday attack. It said that two of its fighters were killed in the operation.

Meanwhile, a suicide blast in Kabul has become the latest in a spate of attacks across the Afghan capital. Three people were killed and five others wounded in the bombing, which occurred in Kabul’s Shashdarak area near the NATO headquarters, deputy interior ministry spokesperson Nusrat Rahimi said, as cited by TOLO News. Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) claimed responsibility in a message on its Amaq news mouthpiece.

Also on Saturday, a car bomb attack in Helmand province killed at least one person and wounded eight others, according to a spokesman for the provincial governor. An attack on an army outpost in the province also killed two soldiers and wounded one.

It comes just one month after Taliban gunmen killed 20 people at Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel, in an assault which led to a 12-hour standoff between gunmen and security forces. Just one week later, more than 100 people were killed and 235 others wounded in the capital when an explosives-packed ambulance blew up in a crowded area. Kabul has been on high alert since that attack.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has approved a new security plan for Kabul. However, it remains unknown what that plan entails, as the city of five million already has numerous checkpoints and vehicle restrictions.

Violence in Afghanistan has surged since US President Donald Trump outlined a more aggressive strategy for the country in August 2017, with US-led forces carrying out increased airstrikes and the Taliban responding with bombings, ambushes, and raids.

The Taliban has gained ground in Afghanistan in recent months, with a BBC study in January finding that the group is now active in 70 percent of the country. The Afghan government shrugged off the report, saying it controls most areas. The Pentagon did not directly comment on the report, but pointed to the latest figures by the NATO-led coalition which asserts that about 56 percent of Afghanistan’s territory is under Afghan government control or influence.

If you like this story, share it with a friend! </s> A NATO forces stands guard during the graduation ceremony of newly Afghan National Army soldiers after a 3-month training program at the Afghan Military Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, July 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A powerful bomb exploded outside the gates of Kabul University in the Afghan capital on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding 33, according to police and health officials.

Several of the wounded were in critical condition, they said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest to target Kabul. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State group often stage large-scale bombings in the city. The Taliban generally target Afghan forces and government officials and the Islamic State also often attacks minority Shiites.

The early morning blast also set two vehicles ablaze although it wasn’t clear if the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber or a remotely detonated bomb, said Kabul police spokesman Ferdous Faramarz.

The casualty tolls were released by the Health Ministry spokesman, Dr. Wahidullah Mayar, who tweeted: “All the wounded patients were evacuated to our hospitals and have been receiving the required treatment.”

After initial reports of six dead, Mayer said two people died of their wounds and that the number of wounded rose to 33, following reports from hospitals around the city.

The university compound houses several hostels where many students stay over the summer, attending classes and working on research projects. The university is co-ed and has women attending classes, something the Taliban oppose.

Though Friday is the start of the weekend in Afghanistan, Massoud, an economics professor at the university who like many Afghans uses only one name, said that several lawyers were taking their exams to become judges when the explosion occurred.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the lawyers were the target. In recent months, at least two professors at Kabul University with alleged links to Afghanistan’s Islamic State affiliate have been arrested, and last year the wall that surrounds the university was emblazoned with graffiti reading, “Long Live Daesh,” the Arabic name for the Islamic State group.

A U.S. Department of Defense intelligence official told The Associated Press that the IS affiliate has stepped up efforts to recruit students from Kabul’s universities, particularly those who are tech savvy, to expand the group’s strength and reach. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to the media.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said he was not aware of any Taliban involvement in Friday’s attack.

In a 2016 attack, 13 people were killed, mostly students, and more than 40 people were wounded when militants attacked the American University in Kabul. In that attack, a car bomb exploded outside the university gates, followed by a blistering, hours-long attack in which gunmen roamed through the compound shooting at students and teachers.

Also on Friday, a roadside mine killed five people who were riding in a car in eastern Ghazni province. Their identities were not immediately known. There was no claim of responsibility for that attack, though the Taliban control vast sections of the province.

The Taliban control roughly half of Afghanistan now and are at their strongest since the 2001 defeat when the U.S.-led invasion toppled their five-year government that had harbored al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was killed in a 2011 U.S. Navy SEAL raid of his compound in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad. Pakistan’s military and intelligence leaders have repeatedly denied any knowledge of bin Laden’s presence in their country. </s> Kabul: At least eight people have been killed and 33 others injured after an explosion struck near the south entrance to Kabul University, Afghanistan’s Health Ministry said on Friday.

Dr. Wahidullah Mayar, the Health Ministry spokesman, wrote on Twitter that eight died and another 33 people were wounded in Friday’s explosion.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility and it was not clear if the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber or remotely detonated.

Ferdous Faramarz, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said two vehicles caught fire after the blast. He said police defused a second bomb that was placed close to the explosion site.

The explosion occurred as students were waiting outside Kabul University to attend exams.

The blast came after at least 12 people were killed and almost 90 wounded on July 18 when Taliban militants detonated two car bombs at a gate outside police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar.

After the car bombs, Taliban gunmen opened fire from nearby positions, triggering a battle with security forces, said Tadeen Khan, the city’s police chief. The attackers targeted the counternarcotics wing of the police, Khan said. </s> A powerful bomb exploded outside the gates of Kabul University in the Afghan capital on Friday, killing at least six people and wounding 27, according to police and health officials.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest to target Kabul. Both the Taliban and Daesh terrorist group often stage large-scale bombings in the city, targeting Afghan forces, government officials and minority Shiites.

The early morning blast also set two vehicles ablaze although it wasn't clear if the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber or a remotely detonated bomb, said Kabul police spokesman Ferdous Faramarz.

The casualty tolls were released by the Health Ministry spokesman, Dr. Wahidullah Mayar, who tweeted that "6 people have been martyred & 27 more wounded, as a result of today's explosion in Kabul. All the wounded patients were evacuated to our hospitals and have been receiving the required treatment."

The university compound houses several hostels where many students stay over the summer, attending classes and conducting research. The university is co-educational.

Though Friday is the start of the weekend in Afghanistan, Massoud, an economics professor at the university who like many Afghans uses only one name, said that several lawyers were taking their exams to become judges when the explosion occurred.

It wasn't immediately clear if the lawyers were the target. In recent months, at least two professors at Kabul University with alleged links to Afghanistan's Daesh affiliate have been arrested, and last year the wall that surrounds the university was emblazoned with graffiti reading, "Long Live Daesh".

A U.S. Department of Defense intelligence official told The Associated Press that the Daesh affiliate has stepped up efforts to recruit students from Kabul's universities, particularly those who are tech savvy, to expand the group's strength and reach. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to the media.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said he was not aware of Taliban involvement in Friday's attack.

In a 2016 attack, 13 people were killed, mostly students, and more than 40 people were wounded when militants attacked the American University in Kabul. In that attack, a car bomb exploded outside the university gates, followed by a blistering, hours-long attack in which gunmen roamed through the compound shooting at students and teachers. </s> As many as 24 people were killed and 60 others wounded when the militants launched a suicide attack on New Kabul Bank branch in Lashkargah, capital of Helmand province on Thursday.

As many as 24 people were killed and 60 others wounded when the militants launched a suicide attack on New Kabul Bank branch in Lashkargah, capital of Helmand province on Thursday. The intense fighting is still going on between the security forces and militants.

The blast took place at about 12 noon local time after a car bomb exploded, killing 24 people and wounding over 50 others, Tolo News quoted a spokesman for the provincial governor Omar Zwak as saying.

?Civilians and military are among the wounded. There is no report about exact number of dead,? Zwak said.

The victims have been taken to the emergency hospital, he added.

Earlier it was said that gunmen stormed the New Kabul Bank but Zwak says that ?the security guards of the bank started shooting after the incident.?

There are no reports on casualties yet. No group including the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Helmand province campaign was a series of military operations conducted by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.

US soldiers from the Marine Corps have returned to Taliban stronghold of Afghanistan's Helmand province in April 2017 nearly three years after the U.S.-led NATO forces ended combat mission in the country. </s> Two Australians injured during a deadly car bombing attack in Afghanistan.

Two Australians injured during a deadly car bombing attack in Afghanistan.

Two Aussies injured in car bomb The West Australian

Two Australian security contractors have been wounded in a car bomb blast in Kabul, which killed at least three Afghan civilians.

“Our hearts and thoughts go to the families of those injured,” she told reporters on Saturday.

No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion that went off near Australian embassy vehicles as they travelled in the Afghanistan capital.

The suspected suicide car bomber killed up to three civilians and injured a number of bystanders, according to local media, Ms Bishop said.

Four Australian embassy vehicles were also damaged in the attack.

“Our deepest sympathies to the people of Afghanistan for this attack and we are certainly deeply concerned about the safety of all people in the area,” Ms Bishop said.

The attack highlighted the risk of risk of terrorism and insurgent groups to the stability of Afghanistan, she said.

The attack came two days after President Ashraf Ghani offered to start peace talks with the Taliban, and just over a month after an ambulance packed with explosives was detonated in the city centre, killing about 100 people.

Much of the centre of Kabul is already a zone of concrete blast walls, razor wire and police checkpoints, but security has been tightened even further after the January 27 ambulance attack and another attack on the city’s Intercontinental Hotel earlier in the month. </s> KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunmen dressed as doctors stormed Afghanistan’s largest military hospital on Wednesday, killing more than 30 people and wounding dozens more, officials and witnesses said.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on Sardar Dawood Khan hospital, which is located near the U.S. Embassy in Kabul’s diplomatic area.

Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Dawlat Waziri said a suicide bomber blew himself up at the southern gate of the facility. Three other attackers dressed in hospital uniforms then entered with guns and began shooting.

“Our forces landed on the roof of the hospital from helicopters and were bravely fighting the enemies,” Waziri said.

Clashes between the militants and security forces were still underway hours later. As the fighting dragged on, a second explosion was heard from within the building.

By late afternoon, 30 people had been killed, in addition to four attackers, Waziri said.

Ismail Kawoosi, a Health Ministry spokesman, said 66 injured people were rushed to two other nearby hospitals for treatment, some of whom were in critical condition.

“I was going to visit the children’s hospital, which is across from Sardar Dawood Khan hospital, when suddenly I heard a blast and shooting started,” said Said Sardarwali, a Kabul resident. He said the attackers were wearing white doctors’ gowns. The NATO-led international military coalition said on Twitter: “Once again insurgents show complete disrespect for humanity by attacking a hospital. We stand ready to assist Afghan security services.”

The attack came one week after a pair of Taliban suicide bombings targeted Afghan security forces in Kabul, killing at least 16 people.

U.S. troops have been helping the Afghans battle Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan since early last year.

U.S. and Afghan forces describe their fight against the militants as a success, saying they’ve reduced numbers from between 2,000 and 3,000 a year ago to some 700 today.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on a peaceful demonstration in Kabul in July that killed more than 80 people in one of the deadliest bombings in the country in years. Just last month, the group said it was behind an attack on Afghanistan’s Supreme Court that left over 20 people dead.

The string of recent attacks in Kabul follows warnings by local officials that the capital could see an uptick in violence this year from emboldened Taliban insurgents as well as militant groups like Islamic State. </s> KABUL: Afghan authorities declared on Saturday the end of an hours-long, multi-pronged assault by suicide bombers and gunmen at the communications ministry in Kabul.

The attack had started about six hours earlier at a postal facility by the ministry, officials said, in a busy area in downtown Kabul. Suicide bombers and gunmen had launched an attack near a government ministry in central Kabul earlier on Saturday, officials said, destroying weeks of relative calm in the capital.

The attack occurred a day after planned talks between the Taliban and Afghan representatives were cancelled. No one claimed immediate responsibility for the assault, which left people stranded in the tall building. Six people were injured, according to a health ministry spokesman.

Initial reports were confused, with officials from different agencies saying three or four attackers were involved. It was not clear how many were suicide bombers and how many were gunmen involved in a follow-up assault.

AFP journalists heard one big blast at around 11:40 am (0710 GMT), followed by sporadic gunfire for more than an hour afterwards. "The information that we have is four attackers have placed themselves near the communication ministry and are engaged in gun battles with the Afghan security forces," Amanduddin Shariati, a security official in Kabul had told AFP.

On Twitter, the Ministry of Information said three suicide bombers had attacked a post office building at the communications ministry. General Sayed Mohammad Roshan Dil, the Kabul police chief, said four attackers had been wearing police uniforms and had targeted a shrine near the ministry. One of the attackers was killed, he told Tolo.

Local television footage showed a small plume of smoke near the ministry, and people climbing out windows on a lower level.

On Facebook, a man named Syed Jaillani Jallan said he was trapped inside the ministry. "Please pray for us as the enemy has reached very close to us. Suicide attack on communication ministry," he wrote. AFP could not immediately verify the comment.

The communication ministry is located in downtown Kabul, about two kilometres from the green zone, a heavily fortified foreign compound. It is the city's main commercial area and is home to a large hotel. The ministry itself is an 18-storey building, thought to be the tallest in Kabul.

The explosion came a week after the Taliban announced their annual spring offensive and amid ongoing fighting across Afghanistan. The Afghan branch of the Islamic State group has also previously carried out multiple deadly attacks in Kabul.

Aside from a grenade attack on a military vehicle last week, the capital has in recent weeks enjoyed a period of relative calm, after a horrific year last year that saw a string of attacks including a massive bomb that was concealed in an ambulance and killed more than 100 people.

This week in the Qatari capital Doha, a summit planned between the Taliban and officials from across Afghanistan was scrapped at the last minute due to bickering over who should attend the conference.

The collapse comes at a critical time and amid continued bloodshed in Afghanistan, where the Taliban now control or influence about half of Afghanistan and 3,804 civilians were killed there last year, according to a UN tally.

Taliban officials are separately negotiating with the United States, which wants to forge a peace deal with the militants. </s> [Breaking news update, published at 8:30 a.m. ET]

At least 21 people were killed and 20 others were injured when two car bombs exploded Tuesday on a road outside the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, said Saleem Rasooli, head of Kabul hospitals.

[Original story, published at 8:20 a.m. ET]

Two car bombs exploded Tuesday on a road outside American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, a Kabul police official said.

At least three people were injured and taken to a hospital, a spokesman for the county’s Ministry of Public Health said.

The Taliban claim responsibility for the blasts, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said.

Developing story — more to come
40 people are killed and over 100 injured by a car bombing and shooting in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban claims responsibility and loses five gunmen.