A convoy of Afghan forces was targeted by a suicide attack in Paghman district in the west of Kabul on Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) confirmed.

The MoI spokesman Najib Danish said that at least four security force members and eight civilians including two women were were killed and six security force members and three civilians were wounded in the incident.

The explosion occurred at around 9:20am Kabul time in Bala Chinar area in Paghman district when security forces were passing through the area and were targeted by a car bomb explosion, Danish said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health spokesman Wahid Majroh told TOLOnews that six people were killed and six other were wounded in the explosion.



Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.</s>Kabul: The death toll from a suicide bombing targeting a security forces convoy outside Kabul early Tuesday jumped to 12, officials said, with eight civilians killed in the latest Taliban-claimed attack near the Afghan capital.

The car bomb follows a wave of deadly violence against Afghan forces across a year in which insurgents have inflicted record-high casualties on security personnel in the war-torn country.

"Twelve people including four members of the security forces were killed," ministry of interior deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP.

Kabul police confirmed the casualties, adding that women and children were among the dead.

"The blast took place in Paghman district west of Kabul as the convoy was returning from an overnight operation," interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP.

The ministry of interior and a seperate security official requesting anonymity confirmed the assailant had used a car bomb to target the convoy.

Afghan security forces, beset by killings and desertions, have been struggling to beat back insurgents from Islamic State as well as the Taliban since US-led NATO mostly left them on their own three years ago.

In November President Ashraf Ghani said nearly 30,000 Afghan soldiers and police officers have been killed since 2015 - a figure far higher than anything previously acknowledged.

Earlier in December, Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie - who has been nominated to lead the US military's Central Command - said the death rate among Afghan forces will no longer be sustainable unless urgent measures are taken to address recruiting and training issues.

The early morning attack in Kabul came just hours after an overnight assault on a checkpoint in Afghanistan district of southern Kandahar province by Taliban fighters killed at least eight Afghan police officers according to the provincial media office.

"The fighting lasted several hours, 11 Taliban were also killed," the office added.

The uptick in violence comes as Washington continues to press for a negotiated end to the 17-year conflict.

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad - who is currently canvassing the region to build support for potential peace talks - expressed hopes that a deal to end the war could be struck before the Afghan presidential election scheduled for April.

At an international conference on Afghanistan in Geneva in November, Ghani also said a 12-person Afghan negotiating team has been prepared for peace talks.

But the Taliban, who have previously insisted they will only speak with US officials, rejected Ghani's overtures, calling the government in Kabul "impotent" and a "waste of time".</s>KABUL: The death toll from a suicide bombing targeting a security forces convoy outside Kabul early Tuesday jumped to 12, officials said, with eight civilians killed in the latest Taliban-claimed attack near the Afghan capital.

“Twelve people including four members of the security forces were killed,” ministry of interior deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.

Kabul police confirmed the casualties, adding that women and children were among the dead. The blast took place in Paghman district west of Kabul as the convoy was returning from an overnight operation, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said. The ministry of interior and a separate security official requesting anonymity confirmed the assailant had used a car bomb to target the convoy.</s>MOSCOW - The number of people killed in a Tuesday suicide blast in the Afghan capital of Kabul increased from four to 12, local media reported.

Nine more people were injured, the 1TV broadcaster reported, citing the Afghan Interior Ministry.

The explosion occurred earlier in the day in the Paghman district, on the outskirts of Kabul. According to Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish, the attack targeted a car carrying Afghan servicemen.

Security officials confirmed that a suicide bomber targeted security forces convoy in Paghman district of Kabul. A convoy of Afghan forces was targeted by a suicide attack in Paghman district in the west of Kabul on Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) confirmed. The MoI spokesman Najib Danish said that at least four security force members and eight civilians killed in the incident.

The explosion occurred at around 9:20am Kabul time in Bala Chinar area in Paghman district when security forces were passing through the area and were targeted by a car bomb explosion, Danish said.

Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, Zabihullah Mujahed, the Taliban spokesman, claimed 23 Afghan and US forces have been killed in this attack in Paghman.

Meanwhile, eight Afghan security officers have been killed in clashes with the Taliban militants, local media reported on Tuesday, citing provincial authorities.

According to the TOLOnews broadcaster, the clashes occurred in the Arghistan district of Afghanistan’s northeastern province of Kandahar late on Monday.

As many as 11 Taliban militants have been eliminated during the clashes, the news outlet added, citing Aziz Ahmad Azizi, the Kandahar province governor’s spokesman.

Afghanistan has long been in a state of turmoil, with the government fighting the Taliban radical movement, which has been holding vast territories in rural areas under its control and regularly launches offensives on major cities. The situation has been exacerbated by the activities of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia), which has been operating in Afghanistan since 2015.</s>12 killed in suicide attack on security forces convoy in Kabul

AT-KABUL: A Taliban suicide bomber targeting convoy of theAfghan security forces at the outskirts of Kabul—the capital city, has killed 12,while the same other received injures, security official said Tuesday.

Kabul Police Spokesman Basir Mujahid told Afghanistan Times that four security forces and eight civilians inducing two women were killed in Paghman district in western Kabul when a suicide bomber struck a security convoy.

Spokesman for Ministry of Interior said a bomber, driving a car, rammed into security forces vehicle in Bala Chenar area of Paghman at around 9:20am, local time.

Another spokesman of the Interior Ministry Nasrat Rahimi said the terrorist act was conducted by a white color corolla model vehicle full of explosives.

However, a security forces at condition of anonymity said that the target was a team of National Directorate of Security (NDS) operatives.

The Taliban insurgent group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

It has been years now that Afghanistan has been suffering from long-decades of war, and its security forces struggling to counter attacks from the Taliban, Islamic State, and other militant groups.</s>KABUL — An Afghan official says the death toll from a suicide bombing on the outskirts of Kabul on Tuesday has climbed to 12.

Nasrat Rahimi, the Interior Ministry’s deputy spokesman, says Wednesday that four security forces and eight civilians, including two women and two children, were killed in the suicide car bombing, which targeted a security convoy. He says 12 other people were wounded.

The Taliban, who effectively control nearly half the country and carry out daily attacks on security forces, claimed the bombing.</s>KABUL: The death toll from a suicide bombing targeting a convoy of security forces outside Kabul early Tuesday jumped to 12, officials said, with several civilians killed in the latest Taliban-claimed attack near the Afghan capital.

“Twelve people including four members of the security forces were killed,” ministry of interior deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP. Kabul police confirmed the casualties.

No one immediately claimed responsibility, but the Taliban and a Daesh affiliate have both carried out attacks in the capital.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, the Taliban attacked a checkpoint in the southern Kandahar province late Monday, killing eight police.

Aziz Ahmad Azizi, the spokesman for the provincial governor, said 11 insurgents were killed in the battle.

The Taliban control nearly half of Afghanistan and carry out daily attacks that mainly target security forces.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan official says the death toll from a suicide bombing on the outskirts of Kabul on Tuesday has climbed to 12.

Nasrat Rahimi, the Interior Ministry’s deputy spokesman, says Wednesday that four security forces and eight civilians, including two women and two children, were killed in the suicide car bombing, which targeted a security convoy. He says 12 other people were wounded.

The Taliban, who effectively control nearly half the country and carry out daily attacks on security forces, claimed the bombing.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>At least 12 people were killed and another six injured after a suicide bomber targeted a convoy of security forces in Kabul early on Tuesday, officials said, in the latest bloody Taliban-claimed attack in the Afghan capital.

 The blast took place in Paghman district in western Kabul as the convoy was returning from an overnight operation, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP.

 “It is still not clear whether the attacker was on foot or driving a vehicle,” the spokesman added.

 Another security official requesting anonymity said the assailant had used a car bomb to target the convoy.

 Attacks on Afghan forces by the Taliban and the militant Islamic State group have been inflicting record-high casualties on security personnel this year.

 Afghan security forces, beset by killings and desertions, have been struggling to beat back insurgents since United States-led Nato mostly left them on their own three years ago.

 In November, President Ashraf Ghani said nearly 30,000 Afghan soldiers and police officers have been killed since 2015, a figure far higher than anything previously acknowledged.

 Earlier this month, Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie — who has been nominated to lead the US military’s Central Command — said the death rate among Afghan forces will no longer be sustainable unless urgent measures are taken to address recruiting and training issues.

 The early morning attack in Kabul came just hours after an overnight assault on a checkpoint in Arghistan district of southern Kandahar province by Taliban fighters killed at least eight Afghan police officers according to the provincial media office.

 “The fighting lasted several hours, eleven Taliban were also killed,” the office added.

 The uptick in violence comes as Washington continues to press for a negotiated end to the 17-year conflict.— AFP</s>A convoy of Afghan security forces was targeted by a suicide bomber in Paghman district in west Kabul on Tuesday morning in which four persons were killed.

Ministry of Interior spokesperson Najib Danish said the explosion took place in Bala Chinar area in Paghman district at around 9.20 am while a convoy of security forces was passing through the area. "It is still not clear whether the attacker was on foot or driving a vehicle," he told Al-Jazeera.

Taliban has claimed the responsibility for the suicide blast.

The attack comes hours after an overnight assault was carried out by Taliban fighters on a checkpoint in Arghistan, a district in southern Kandahar province. According to the provincial media office, at least eight police officers were killed in the attack. (ANI)
The Taliban claims responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed 12 people, including 8 civilians in Kabul.