Afghanistan highway blast kills at least 34 on bus, injures 17

KABUL: An explosion on Wednesday hit a bus traveling on a highway between two key cities in western Afghanistan, killing at least 34 passengers, including children, and injuring 17, officials said.

Security has been deteriorating across Afghanistan, with the Taliban and Daesh fighters mounting near-daily attacks on Afghan forces, government employees and civilians.

The blast on the highway linking the provincial capitals of Herat and Kandahar took place in the Ab Khorma area of Farah province, said provincial police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib.

“The bomb was freshly planted by the Taliban insurgents to target Afghan and foreign security forces,” he said.

Taliban officials were not immediately available to comment on the statement and there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Government and aid officials say the numbers of those being killed and maimed is rising because of explosives newly planted by the Taliban, who now control more territory than at any point since their ouster nearly 18 years ago.

The attack came one day after the United Nations said civilians are being killed and wounded at a “shocking” level in Afghanistan’s war, despite a push to end the nearly 18-year-old conflict.

Casualties have dropped 27 percent in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period last year, which was a record, but nonetheless, 1,366 civilians were killed and another 2,446 injured. The UN branded efforts to reduce the violence “insufficient”.

It also said that US and pro-government forces caused more civilian deaths than the Taliban and other insurgent groups for the second quarter running.