Monday, January 21, 2019

Afghanistan: Suicide bomb attack on training centre kills 126

(Maidan Wardak)The Taliban carried out a suicide bomb attack on an Afghan military compound in central Afghanistan, with the death toll at 126 people. The attack took place on Monday morning, when a armoured Humvee vehicle was driven into the compound and blown up. Gunmen also opened fire, before being killed by security forces.


Defence ministry officials said the Taliban had used the Humvee, which had been captured from Afghan forces, as a bomb in order to breach the military fortifications. Hussein Ali Baligh, a member of the local provincial council, said:
“This morning, around 7am, a Humvee entered the NDS block in the city … about 150 NDS personnel were present at the time of the attack. The Humvee exploded right after entering the compound. The building has totally been collapsed.”
At least two gunmen followed up the attack before being killed themselves.He said the attack sparked concerns in the province over how a Humvee that had been in the hands of government forces could pass through checkpoints while packed with explosives. “It shows the weakness of our forces,” he said. “Our forces are brave, but their commanders have weaknesses.”