Afghan attacks death toll reaches 42August 8, 2015 - 14:20 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A wave of attacks on Afghan police, army and NATO installations in Kabul killed at least 42 people and wounded hundreds, dashing hope that Taliban insurgents might be weakened by a leadership struggle after news of their longtime leader's death, Reuters reports. The attacks on Friday, which included a massive truck bomb in a heavily populated civilian area and a suicide attack on a police academy, were some of the most serious in months and the first in Kabul since the Taliban named a new leader last week. They represent another blow to a tentative peace process that held its first meeting in July but was suspended last week. Kabul has frequently been targeted by the Taliban and other insurgent groups seeking to destabilize the fragile government of President Ashraf Ghani although the scale of the latest attacks was unusually large. The Taliban are in the midst of a leadership dispute following last week's appointment of Mullah Akhtar Mansour as new leader. Mansour, who had previously been seen as open to peace talks, pledged to continue the insurgency that has killed and wounded thousands this year. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack on the police academy in Kabul. "The bomber was wearing a police uniform and detonated his explosives among students who had just returned from a break," a police official said. At least 26 people were killed and 28 more wounded at the police academy, according to an Afghan police official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Afghan war between the Western-backed government and the Taliban has intensified since the NATO combat mission ended last year. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |