Multiple Bombs Strikes Kabul While Taliban Threatens Blood Shed

On Monday there were a series of  three bombings in Kabul, Afghanistan. The first two explosions were carried out near the Afghan Ministry of Defense and later that evening a third device went off in a residential neighborhood nearby. Taliban openly claimed responsible for the first two attacks but no group has yet laid claim to the third attack.

Around 3:30 pm local time, a bomb went off near the Ministry of Defense, according to defense ministry spokesman.  A Taliban official claimed that the initial blast was a remote-detonated device which was followed by a Taliban member. Afghan police say the bomber was wearing a bomb vest and an Afghan National Army uniform.

The third attack took place Monday night, around 11pm, consisting of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) and was followed by gunfire. The explosion targeted Shar-e Naw, a residential neighborhood not far from the Afghan Ministry of Defense. After the blast, three gunmen barricaded themselves in an office complex where government officials and Care International personnel work. The gunfire did not stop until Tuesday morning, when Afghan Special Forces killed the gunmen. The number of causalities is only 1 with 6 wounded, at this site. The death toll from all three bombings is 35 people and 103 wounded.

As the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, Kabul has a high attack rate and this past year they have been hit hard.

April 19^th Taliban carried out a truck bomb attack leaving 64 dead. June 20^th a Taliban suicide bomber attacked a capital bus killing 23 people, including 14 Nepali Security Guards and Canadian embassy workers. On June 30^th suicide bomber targets a bus carrying police cadets, once first responders came to the site a second bomb was detonated, leaving at least 30 dead and 50 wounded.

In the series of attacks that have hit the country, many of the targets have been personnel in uniform and military and government installations. With many of the Taliban members imprisoned the targets intensify.

Anas Haqqani and Qari Abdul Rashid Omari have been imprisoned since 2014. Anas Haqqani and Omari are both important figures in the Haqqani Network. Anas Haqqani is the brother of Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is the leader of the Haqqani, and the son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani Network. Anas’ role was to fundraise for the network. Omari also comes from a jihadist family. His brother, Mohammad Nabi Omari, was one of the five prisoners at Guantánamo Bay in the exchange for the American soldier Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Omari was the network’s military commander for southeastern Afghanistan, meaning he choose targets and provided resources to bombers.

Since their imprisonment, both have been sentenced to death. The Taliban have tried to pressure the Afghan Government by releasing a video of American and Canadian hostages.      On Monday the Taliban increased their rhetoric, warning that “blood will be spilled” if Anas Haqqani is executed.

Even while the Taliban increases its rhetoric over captured prisoners, they aren’t letting the loss distract from their continued efforts. Early Thursday the jihadist group launched an offensive to take control of Tarin Kot, the capital of Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan.

Anas Haqqani and Omari imprisonment may add rhetorical fuel to the Taliban’s fire, but the Taliban continues to advance its broad strategic agenda; a few prisoners does not change that.