2 NATO servicemen among 12 killed in Kabul

A soldier with the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission at the site of the suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Reuters)

• A Romanian and an American — were among 12 people killed after a Taliban suicide bomber detonated a vehicle outside a checkpoint
• The attack, following Taliban advances in at least two strategic northern cities, coincides with the visit to Kabul of US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad

KABUL: NATO said two of its servicemen — a Romanian and an American — were among 12 people killed on Thursday after a Taliban suicide bomber detonated a vehicle outside a checkpoint near a heavily fortified part of the Afghan capital.
“Two Resolute Support service members were killed in action … in Kabul,” NATO said in a statement, without disclosing any details other than their nationalities.
The Taliban said the target was a convoy of foreign troops. A video circulating on social media showed the suicide bomber’s car ramming an armored vehicle at around 10.10 a.m. as it tried to get past the checkpoint on a road that leads to government offices, the local NATO headquarters and the Saudi Embassy.
Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said at least 10 Afghan civilians were killed and 42 wounded.
President Ashraf Ghani’s aide Fazel Fazly tweeted: “Taliban’s unabated violence against the Afghan people continues. Today, once again they targeted civilians in Kabul. It is the most inhumane and atrocious tactic by the Taliban to massacre unarmed civilians on the streets so they can claim leverage on the negotiating table.”
The attack came days after the Taliban launched a complex attack on a vast, heavily fortified camp used as accommodation and offices by foreigners in the eastern part of the city.
Some 20 people were killed and more than 120 wounded, many of them Afghan civilians. Around 400 foreigners residing at the camp, known as Green Village, were evacuated.
The attacks, following Taliban advances in at least two strategic northern cities, coincide with the visit to Kabul of US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.
He is bringing details of the draft peace agreement that the US wants to sign with the Taliban after nine rounds of talks with the militant group since last year in Qatar.
Based on the deal, which needs to be approved by US President Donald Trump, some 5,000 out of 14,000 American troops will leave Afghanistan in 135 days and vacate five bases.
The Taliban and the Afghan government will be required to begin talks on the country’s future political setup.
Ghani, who is standing for re-election and has prioritized the polls over peace talks with the Taliban, said he will thoroughly read the draft agreement.
His chief spokesman tweeted: “The Afghan government supports any progress in the peace process that leads to durable peace. But the main concern of Afghan government about the agreement between the Taliban and US is how the risks and consequences of it can be prevented.”
During a campaign rally on Thursday, Ghani’s running mate Amrullah Saleh, a long-time anti-Taliban figure, termed the peace talks a “conspiracy” and a “plot to divide Afghanistan.”
Wahidullah Amarkhail, who runs a think tank in Kabul, told Arab News that the surge in Taliban attacks is aimed at “putting further pressure on Ghani and weakening people’s confidence in the government.”
He added: “The attacks also raise further questions about the possibility of holding the (presidential) elections.”
Jamaluddin Badr, an analyst and former governor, said the aim of the attacks is to help the Taliban gain concessions during negotiations with the Afghan government.
“We’re dealing with a very uncertain and possibly dark future. America seems tired of the war and wants to pull out,” Badr told Arab News.
“But will its drawdown mean that peace will return to Afghanistan? If there’s no peace and disputed elections are held, there will be chaos. And if there’s no peace and no elections, there will be further questions about the legitimacy of the government, whose term ended months ago.”