Thursday, June 2, 2016

Six killed as Taliban bombers raid Afghan courthouse

Once again, the Taliban do what the Taliban do best.  They kill people.

The story comes from Times of India.


Six killed as Taliban bombers raid Afghan courthouse

GHAZNI: Taliban suicide bombers wearing police uniforms raided a courthouse in the eastern Afghan city of Ghazni on Wednesday, killing six people in what they said was revenge for last month's execution of six Taliban-linked prisoners.

The militants are stepping up their annual spring offensive after naming a new leader.

"Four attackers entered the court compound after killing the guard," provincial police chief Aminullah Amarkhail told AFP. "One of the attackers detonated his suicide vest inside the compound and the three others were gunned down by police."

The interior ministry said five civilians and one policeman were killed in the 30-minute attack, which left bloodied corpses littered around the complex. Amarkhail said 13 others were wounded.

On Tuesday the Taliban killed 10 people after pulling them off buses in the northern province of Kunduz, officials said, revising down their earlier toll of 16. The militants also kidnapped dozens of passengers, saying they were targeting Afghan security officials aboard the buses passing through the insurgency-prone district of Aliabad.

Most of the passengers have since been released but a handful are still in Taliban captivity, officials said, without giving a precise number.


The violence underscores Afghanistan's fragile security situation as the militants intensify assaults against troops and police after launching their spring offensive in April. The Taliban last week announced Haibatullah Akhundzada as their new leader, elevating a low-profile religious figure in a swift power transition after officially confirming the death of Mullah Mansour in a US drone strike.


The drone attack was the first known American assault on a top Afghan Taliban leader on Pakistani soil.

Mansour was killed just nine months after being formally appointed leader following a bitter power struggle upon the confirmation of the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar.


On Tuesday Pakistan said his body had been handed back to his family.

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