Afghanistan: Suicide car bomb blast near Kabul airport kills one, injures four

Kabul: A suicide car bomb struck near Kabul airport on Monday in an apparent attack on a foreign forces convoy, killing at least one civilian and wounding four others, Afghan officials said. [caption id=“attachment_2464154” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, which comes as Taliban insurgents step up attacks on government and foreign targets. “The bombing occurred near Kabul airport… We are finding out more details,” Gul Agha Rohani, Kabul deputy police chief, told AFP. Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter: “One civilian killed and (four) civilians wounded in today’s car bomb explosion.” The attack comes a day after Pakistan’s powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif visited Kabul in a bid to prepare the ground for fresh peace talks with the Taliban. Pakistan — the Taliban’s historic backers — hosted a milestone first round of talks in July but the negotiations stalled when the insurgents belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar. Afghan forces are currently battling to push out Taliban insurgents who seized large swathes of the key opium-rich district of Sangin in southern Helmand province. Observers say the intensifying insurgency highlights a push by the militants to seize more territory in a bid to wrangle greater concessions during talks. AFP