HERAT: At least 34 people were killed in western Afghanistan when their bus hit a roadside bomb, officials said Wednesday, the same day a US peace envoy indicated a peace deal with the insurgents could be imminent.

Even in a conflict where civilians die daily, Wednesday´s blast stood out as particularly devastating, as most of the victims were women and children. The explosion ripped through the bus around 6:00am (01:30 GMT) in Farah province, authorities said, along a busy highway to neighbouring Herat.

"It was dark, and the bus hit a mine," passenger Ali Juma told AFP from a hospital in Herat. "There were many casualties, martyrs and wounded people." The explosion came amid a US push for peace with the Taliban that after several slow months now appears to be making progress. US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who spent more than a week in Kabul, on Wednesday left Afghanistan for Pakistan before heading to Doha, where he is expected to hold a fresh round of talks with the Taliban.

Khalilzad, who was formerly US ambassador to Afghanistan, said his visit to Kabul had been his "most productive" yet in his new role. "I’m off to Doha, with a stop in Islamabad. In Doha, if the Taliban do their part, we will do ours, and conclude the agreement we have been working on," Khalilzad tweeted.

The push to end the Afghan war has ignited widespread concern among Afghans that in Washington’s rush to exit its longest war the Taliban will be returned to some semblance of power.

According to a UN report released Tuesday, 1,366 civilians were killed and another 2,446 wounded during the first six months of 2019. Afghan officials blamed the Taliban for Wednesday´s explosion, saying they had planted a bomb along a busy highway with the aim of hitting security forces.

The insurgents did not deny or claim involvement, saying they would investigate the "sad incident". Muhibullah Muhib, a police spokesman for Farah province, said all the victims were civilians, mostly women and children.

"A passenger bus travelling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a Taliban roadside bomb killing 34 innocent people and wounding 17 others," he said. Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan presidency, confirmed the toll, blaming the incident on the Taliban, while Nasrat Rahim, the interior ministry spokesman, called the blast a "barbaric act of the terrorists".

"Sadly, this senseless loss of life is all too common in Afghanistan," Onno van Manen, the Afghanistan director for Save the Children, said in a statement. "Just in the past month hundreds of children have been killed or injured as a result of explosive weapons."

The Taliban, who now control or influence about half of Afghanistan´s territory, recently signed on to a vague pledge to reduce civilian casualties, but violence has continued unabated.

Civilians have long paid a disproportionate price in the nearly 18 years since the US invaded Afghanistan, and last year was a record for civilian casualties. Numbers are down by 27 percent so far this year, but children accounted for almost a third of the overall total of civilian deaths and injuries.

Pakistan strongly condemned the horrific bomb attack on the passenger bus in Afghanistan in which civilians, including women and children, lost their lives. “Such inhuman acts of violence against innocent civilians are condemnable. Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” the Foreign Office said in a press release.

It said Afghan people deserve complete peace and tranquillity in their country. It said Pakistan stands together with the government and people of Afghanistan in the efforts to comprehensively defeat and uproot the scourge of terrorism in the region.

“Our hearts go out to the innocent victims, many of them women and children. We pray for the ‘maghfirah’ of the deceased and extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims,” it added. </s> HERAT: A suicide attack near a mosque in the western Afghan city of Herat killed at least one person and wounded eight others, police and health officials said on Sunday.

Militant Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, which followed another blast that was claimed by the group in Kabul last week and killed about 30 people near a Shia shrine as the city celebrated Nauroz, the Persian new year.

Deputy police chief Aminullah Amin said that two bombers had tried to enter the mosque but were challenged by security guards who opened fire on them.

“Our Shia brothers were praying in the mosque when two suicide bombers entered the mosque compound. Fortunately, the bombers were identified by Afghan police and local residents,” he said.

Amin said that one of the bombers was shot by security guards while the second detonated his explosives.

Health officials said one person was confirmed dead with eight wounded, but the final figures could change.

Herat, one of the most prosperous cities in Afghanistan, has experienced periodic episodes of violence but has not suffered the same level of attacks as the capital Kabul.

While sectarian violence in Afghanistan was previously rare, a series of attacks over recent years, many claimed by IS, have killed hundreds of people from Shia community, many from the Hazara ethnic minority.

IS appeared in Afghanistan three years ago. As well as its main stronghold in the eastern region of Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan, fighters declaring allegiance to the group have been active in northern Afghanistan.

The group has also claimed numerous attacks in Kabul and other cities, though many experts doubt whether it has the capacity to conduct such attacks alone and believe it may have received help at times from other militant groups.

The violence has occurred alongside a general deterioration in security in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgents have fought government forces across much of the country, killing thousands of civilians every year. </s> The Latest: Afghan official says Taliban kill 9 in Kandahar

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Latest on developments (all times local):

An Afghan official says Taliban insurgents attacked police checkpoints in southern Kandahar province, killing nine police.

Daud Ahmadi, spokesman for the provincial governor in Kandahar, says Tuesday that seven other police were wounded late Monday in the attack in Arghistan district.

Zia Durrani, provincial police spokesmen, says 25 Taliban were killed and 15 others wounded in the battle.

Arghistan is one of the violate districts of Kandahar close to Pakistani border.

An Afghan official says an Islamic State suicide bomber has killed 20 people in northern Afghanistan, including a Taliban commander.

Abdul Qayuom Baqizoi, provincial chief police of northern Sar-i-Pul province, said the attack Tuesday took place as village elders met with Taliban officials in the area.

In northern Afghanistan, Taliban and the Islamic State group have been waging bitter battles in recent days. As many as 100 insurgents from both the Taliban and Islamic State have perished in recent battles, said Baqizoi.

Provincial council chief Mohammed Noor Rahman said the explosion occurred in a mosque as a funeral was taking place.

The area is remote and it was impossible to reconcile the differing accounts.

An Afghan official says at least 54 people, including security personnel and civilians, have been released from a Taliban prison in southern Helmand province.

Omar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Tuesday the prisoners were freed after a commando unit raided the prison late Monday night in Musa Qala district.

Zwak said there were 32 civilians, 16 police, four soldiers and two military doctors who had been locked up by the insurgents.

He said security forces were still securing the area.

The Taliban did not immediately comment on the raid, but the insurgents are in control of the majority of the districts in Helmand, where they have increased their attacks against provincial officials and security forces. </s> A Taliban assault on two adjacent checkpoints in northern Afghanistan has left 30 soldiers and police officers dead.

A Taliban assault on two adjacent checkpoints in northern Afghanistan has left 30 soldiers and police officers dead.

Officials in Baghlan province said the insurgents set fire to the checkpoints after the attack late on Tuesday in the Baghlan-I Markazi district.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted a military checkpoint and another manned by local police.

In a separate incident, Taliban attacks killed four police officers in southern Zabul province.

Provincial police chief Mustafa Mayar said three officers were also injured when the Taliban attacked security posts in the Zabul capital of Qalat.

He said a gun battle lasted several hours, during which the Taliban used artillery and heavy guns. The attack also left seven rebels dead and five others injured.

Meanwhile, Afghans emerged from their homes and some shops reopened in the eastern city of Ghazni, where the Taliban launched a co-ordinated offensive last Friday, overwhelming the city’s defences and capturing several neighbourhoods.

Afghan forces repelled the initial assault and in recent days have struggled to flush the insurgents out of residential areas where they are holed up.

The US and Nato have launched air strikes and sent military advisers to aid Afghan forces as they fight for the city, which is just 75 miles from the capital Kabul and has a population of 270,000 people.

Arif Noori, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said on Wednesday that “life is getting back to normal” after at least 35 civilians were killed in recent days.

Hundreds of people have fled the fighting in Ghazni, which has killed about 100 members of the Afghan security forces. </s> KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A roadside bombing killed 11 people in eastern Afghanistan on Friday as they were traveling to a wedding in the country’s east, a local official said.

Also Friday, five Afghan policemen were killed in fighting with the Taliban in eastern Kapisa province. Earlier, a policeman turned his rifle on his colleagues as they slept at an outpost in eastern Nangarhar province on Thursday night, killing five.

Those killed by the roadside bomb in Logar province — five women, five children and a man — were all from the same family, said Salim Salleh, the spokesman for the provincial governor of Logar.

In Kapisa, the Taliban attacked a police checkpoint early Friday morning, killing five policemen, according to Qais Qaderi, the spokesman for the provincial governor. He said the assault took place in Tagab district, adding that 10 Taliban fighters were also killed, including two commanders.

In the Thursday night attack, district governor, Abdul Wahab Momand, said the policeman shot his colleagues at an outpost in the district of Ghanikhil.

After the shooting, the attacker, who was only identified by one name, Nasratullah, seized all the victims’ firearms and fled the scene, the governor said.

Neither the Taliban nor the Islamic State group — the two militant groups who operate in the area — immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Nangarhar, a mountainous province that borders Pakistan.

There was also no claim of responsibility for the attack in Logar but Salleh, the spokesman, accused the Taliban of planting the roadside bomb.

Afghanistan has the highest number of mine victims in the world, which along with roadside bombs kill or wound an estimated 140 people every month. The Taliban have stepped up their attacks since announcing their spring offensive last month.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, another roadside bomb targeted a U.S. militarily convoy in northern Parwan province on Friday, the international mission’s media officer, Doug High, said.

The explosion disabled an armored vehicle but caused no injuries, High said. After recovering the vehicle, the convoy continued on its mission, he added. </s> At least 34 killed as Afghan bus hits bomb

Herat, Afghanistan: At least 34 people were killed in western Afghanistan Wednesday when the bus, they were travelling in, hit a roadside bomb, officials said, a day after the UN warned civilians were dying at "shocking" levels in the war-torn country.



The blast ripped through a passenger bus on a main highway in Farah province, at around 6:00 am (0130 GMT), authorities said, killing mainly women and children.

"A passenger bus travelling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a Taliban roadside bomb killing 34 innocent people and wounding 17 others," said Muhibullah Muhib, a police spokesman for Farah province.

All were civilians, mostly women and children, he said.

Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan presidency, confirmed the toll, blaming the incident on the Taliban.

Nasrat Rahim, the interior ministry spokesman, called the blast a "barbaric act of the terrorists".

There was no immediate confirmation from the insurgents that they were behind the blast. </s> Dozens of passengers, mainly women and children, were killed in western Afghanistan on Wednesday when the bus they were travelling in hit a roadside bomb.

A passenger bus travelling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a “Taliban roadside bomb” and at least 32 were killed and 17 wounded, said Muhibullah Muhib, the spokesman for Farah province.

All were civilians, mostly women and children, he said. Farooq Barakzai, a spokesman for Farah’s governor, confirmed the toll but warned it might rise higher.

No immediate confirmation from the Taliban was given that it was behind the blast. Taliban fighters operate in the region and frequently use roadside bombs to target government officials and security forces.

The blast came one day after the United Nations said civilians were being killed and wounded at a “shocking” level in Afghanistan’s war, despite a push to end the nearly 18-year-old conflict. </s> Afghan official: Death toll in suicide bombing rises to 68

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The death toll in a suicide bombing among a group of people protesting a local police commander in eastern Afghanistan has risen to 68, up from 32, provincial officials Wednesday.

Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor, said 165 others were wounded in the attack a day earlier.

The bombing happened when a group from the district of Achin came to Momandara district to block the main highway between the capital Jalalabad and the Torkham border with Pakistan.

The Taliban denied any involvement. No other group immediately claimed responsibility, but both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarhar province.

A local affiliate of the Islamic State group has emerged in recent years and carried out brazen and increasingly deadly attacks, most often targeting civilians and the country's minority Shiite Muslims, who it views as apostates. The Taliban and the Islamic State affiliate are enemies and have attacked each other's forces.

Both the Taliban and IS carry out near-daily attacks in Afghanistan targeting security forces and government officials.

Tuesday's attack was marked by one of the highest death tolls in attacks in Afghanistan this year. In January, a Taliban-claimed suicide bombing in the capital Kabul killed at least 103.

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the suicide attack against the demonstrators in Nangarhar. In a statement, he said "attacks on civilian facilities, mosques, women, children, are all crimes against humanity."

In western Herat province, Taliban insurgents attacked a police checkpoint, killing six police, said Abdul Ahad Walizada, spokesman for the provincial police chief.

Walizada said another officer was wounded in the Tuesday night attack in Pashtun Zargun district. He added that 10 insurgents were killed and six others wounded during a gun battle with a reinforcement unit.

The Taliban have not commented on the attack but Walizada said Taliban are active in the district and often target security checkpoints. </s> A suicide bomber targeted a convoy of foreign troops in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on August 2, causing casualties, NATO's mission in Afghanistan says.

The NATO mission, known as Resolute Support, could not say how many casualties there were or provide their nationalities.

Provincial police spokesman Zia Durrani said the convoy was targeted in the Daman area.

An unidentified local security official said the attack took place near Kandahar's airport, which is home to a major military base for international troops backing Afghan security forces.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, which came after at least 33 people were killed by a suicide bomber and gunman who attacked a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in the western city of Herat on August 1.

There are about 13,500 U.S. and NATO troops currently in Afghanistan.

The U.S. administration is deciding whether to send additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan to fight Taliban militants.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and dpa
Taliban insurgents attacked a checkpoint in the western province of Afghanistan of Herat killing 9 and injuring 6 the militants suffered 10 losses as well.