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| Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 5 Afghan Soldiers in Kabul | Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 5 Afghan Soldiers in Kabul |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| KABUL, Afghanistan — At least five Afghan soldiers were killed and a dozen others were wounded Thursday morning when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a bus full of service members in Kabul. | |
| The suicide bomber was standing at the edge of a road next to a speed bump, waiting for the soldiers’ bus to slow down as it passed by, a witness said. | |
| The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place around 7 a.m. on the eastern outskirts of the capital. | The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place around 7 a.m. on the eastern outskirts of the capital. |
| Last month, the Taliban launched waves of attacks here. Suicide bombers targeted a British Embassy vehicle and the headquarters of a small aid organization in the city. Roadside explosions struck soldiers and police officers. Suicide bombers also tried to assassinate a prominent women’s rights leader and member of Parliament, Shukria Barakzai, as well as the police chief of Kabul, although the Taliban have not publicly claimed responsibility for either of those attacks. | |
| The attacks unnerved residents, and many took to staying home when possible or avoiding crowds. But after more than 10 attacks in November, a period of relative quiet took hold, lasting more than a week. | |
| While many of the recent attacks were against civilians or foreigners, the suicide attack on Thursday was directed at the Taliban’s most frequent target: Afghan security forces, whether soldiers or police officers. | While many of the recent attacks were against civilians or foreigners, the suicide attack on Thursday was directed at the Taliban’s most frequent target: Afghan security forces, whether soldiers or police officers. |
| The bus was on a road that cut across a steep hill in the Tangi Tarakhil area. | The bus was on a road that cut across a steep hill in the Tangi Tarakhil area. |
| A man who lives nearby, Abdul Layeq, said that as he was leaving his house he saw a Toyota Corolla pull to the side of the road, minutes ahead of the bus, and drop off a young man carrying a large bag. | A man who lives nearby, Abdul Layeq, said that as he was leaving his house he saw a Toyota Corolla pull to the side of the road, minutes ahead of the bus, and drop off a young man carrying a large bag. |
| Mr. Layeq said that based on the man’s outfit, he assumed the man was an office worker for one of Kabul’s many nongovernmental or Western organizations. But the man waited by the road and set off his parcel as the bus came alongside, said Mr. Layeq, himself a soldier with the Afghan National Army who works in the west of Kabul. | Mr. Layeq said that based on the man’s outfit, he assumed the man was an office worker for one of Kabul’s many nongovernmental or Western organizations. But the man waited by the road and set off his parcel as the bus came alongside, said Mr. Layeq, himself a soldier with the Afghan National Army who works in the west of Kabul. |
| “I couldn’t believe he was a suicide bomber,” Mr. Layeq said. | “I couldn’t believe he was a suicide bomber,” Mr. Layeq said. |
| The Ministry of Defense said that 12 soldiers were wounded. Mr. Layeq said he also saw two wounded civilians in a nearby car. | The Ministry of Defense said that 12 soldiers were wounded. Mr. Layeq said he also saw two wounded civilians in a nearby car. |
| In a statement posted online, the Taliban said that the suicide bomber was named Hafiz Talaha and that he came from Wardak Province. |