Suicide bomber targets Afghan army bus

Three people killed and 10 wounded in fourth high-profile attack in the capital since Monday.

The Taliban, who frequently target Afghan and foreign troops, claimed responsibility for the blast [Reuters]

A suicide bomber targeting an Afghan army bus in Kabul has killed three people and wounded 10, the interior ministry said, the fourth high-profile attack in the capital since Monday, when the new president was sworn in.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for Thursday’s blast and its reclusive leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, urged Afghans to wage “jihad” to establish an Islamic rule in Afghanistan, calling the election a “publicity stunt”.

“You would have, by now, come around to know what sort of unqualified figures, being loyal to foreigners’ interests, have been imposed on you by the Americans,” the Taliban leader said in his yearly Eid Al-Adha message.

Seven people were killed when the international airport was attacked on Monday, while two bombs detonating in the east and west of the city on Wednesday killed at least seven people.

The Taliban also claimed responsibility for the earlier attacks, vowing to fight the new “stooge regime” backed by the US, Reuters news agency reported. 

President Ashraf Ghani was inaugurated on Monday after months of deadlock over who won the election.

Under the terms of a US-brokered deal ending the standoff, the new president and his former rival, Abdullah Abdullah, will share power.

During Ghani’s first three days of rule, he has signed long-delayed security deals with NATO and the US allowing troops to stay beyond 2014. 

Source: Reuters