Taliban claim responsibility for Kabul attack that left 8 dead

dpa Kabul Taliban forces have claimed responsibility for a Tuesday car bomb attack in Kabul and warned of more attacks against top Afghan government offic...

dpa KabulTaliban forces have claimed responsibility for a Tuesday car bomb attack in Kabul and warned of more attacks against top Afghan government officials.The incident left at least eight dead and at least 20 others wounded, according to the Interior Ministry on Wednesday.Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the attack on the residence of the acting Afghan defense minister was carried out by several attackers following a car bomb explosion.The attack lasted for about five hours and ended when members of the security forces shot dead all the assailants, Interior Ministry spokesperson Mirwais Stanekzai said.Hours after the attack, the acting defence minister, Bismillah Mohammadi, posted a video on social media saying his home was targeted by terrorists, but that he is safe with his family.The incident in central Kabul came after a period of relative calm.Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid warned in the statement that the attack on Mohammadi’s house is only the beginning of retaliatory operations against government officials who are ordering attacks against civilians, forcing them to leave their homes in different provinces on daily basis.  The security situation in Afghanistan has recently deteriorated significantly. Since the start of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops in early May, the Taliban have launched several offensives, primarily conquering rural areas.Recently, the fighting has increasingly shifted to the cities. The government is trying to recapture lost territories and repel attacks on the provincial capitals with increased airstrikes.Those, however, time and again also hit civilian targets.The government and the US, at the same time, accuse the Taliban of placing landmines in civilian homes and hiding behind families when they attack Afghan security forces.