Bomb attack hits police academy in Afghan capital, 20 killed
Iran Press TV
Fri Aug 7, 2015 3:51PM
At least 20 people have been killed in a bomb attack that rocked an area near the Afghan police academy building in the capital, Kabul, Afghan officials say.
A police officer, going by the name of Mabibullha, told AP on Friday that at least 20 recruits were killed in the attack. An unnamed police officer added that there were also at least 25 wounded among the recruits.
Abdul Jabbar, a witness, said a bomber blew himself up near Ustad Rabbani University in the fifth police district of the Afghan capital.
The assailant approached the main entrance of the police academy and was standing with a group of police officers when he detonated his explosives, a police source said on condition of anonymity.
Humayum Aini, a senior official at Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, confirmed the incident.
No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, but the Taliban militants have been blamed for such attacks in the past.
The development comes only hours after a massive truck bomb attack in the eastern district of Shah Shaheed of Kabul killed 15 people and injured more than 400 others.
Afghanistan faces a security challenge years after the United States and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but many areas in the country are still beset by insecurity.
Peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban were effectively halted last week, when the death of the militant group's leader, Mullah Omar, was confirmed and Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour was appointed as his successor.
Some members of the Taliban, including Mullah Omar's son, Yaqub, and the former leader's brother, Mullah Abdul Manan, have voiced opposition to the appointment of Mansour and requested a new vote.
Under the current circumstances, the future of the peace talks under the group's new leadership remains difficult to predict.
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