Afghans inspect a damaged civilian car at the site of an explosion, believed to have targeted a U.S. convoy, in Kabul, May 31, 2019. (Jawad Jalali/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
KABUL — At least four bystanders were killed and four U.S. troops wounded Friday when a suicide car bomb targeted a passing U.S. convoy in the Afghan capital, U.S. and Afghan officials said.
It was the second suicide attack in Kabul in the past two days, after a blast Thursday at a military academy killed six.
Police spokesman Ferdous Faramarz said three other bystanders were wounded in Friday’s attack. Col. David Butler, a spokesman for the U.S. military, said U.S. troops suffered minor wounds.
After the attack, photos circulating on social media showed tall plumes of smoke rising over eastern Kabul, which is also home to a number of U.S., NATO and Afghan security complexes.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack, which came after days of peace talks with its leaders in Moscow. Many Afghans hoped those talks would result in a cease-fire announcement for the end of the holy month of Ramadan early next week.
Last year, a cease-fire that coincided with the end of Ramadan was met with jubilation in Afghanistan.
But at the conclusion of meetings Thursday, Taliban spokesman Muhammad Sohail Shahee told journalists that a cease-fire was discussed and that “we will continue this discussion,” but no agreement was reached.
Elected Afghan government representatives did not attend the talks in Moscow, although a number of notable Afghan figures, including former president Hamid Karzai and members of a government-appointed peace council, were present.
Thursday’s attack on the Marshal Fahim National Defense University caught cadets as they were heading home for the weekend and was claimed by the extremist Islamic State group.
Read more:
Suicide bomber kills six at Afghan defense university while Moscow talks fail to deliver cease-fire
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