Deadly start to Taliban ‘spring offensive’
Five killed and 12 wounded in Afghanistan on first day of Taliban’s newly launched offensive.
The Taliban on Saturday declared a new series of high-profile attacks against foreign troops and Afghan officials (Reuters) |
The Taliban has killed five people and injured 12 others in two attacks staged on the first day of its newly launched ‘spring offensive’, Afghan officials said.
A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-packed vest at a bazaar in the Barmal district of Paktika province, which is on the Afghan-Pakstani border, the interior ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Three civilians were killed and 11 others were injured, and the provincial police have launched an investigation, the statement said.
In another incident, a gunman opened fire on a checkpoint in the southwestern province of Ghazni, killing two policemen and wounding a bystander during an hour-long battle, provincial police chief Zerawar Zahid said.
On Saturday the Taliban declared a new series of high-profile attacks against foreign troops and Afghan officials and military.
In a statement, the group warned citizens to stay away from public locations to prevent getting harmed during the offensive.