15 Afghan army cadets killed in Taliban attack

Kabul, October 21 

A suicide bomber killed 15 Afghan army trainees as they were leaving their base in Kabul today, the defence ministry said, as militants step up their deadly attacks across the war-torn country.

It was the second suicide bombing in the Afghan capital in 24 hours and the seventh major assault in Afghanistan since Tuesday, taking the total death toll to more than 200, with hundreds more wounded.

The attack comes after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque in Kabul yesterday, killing 56 persons and wounding 55 others in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group.

In an email to journalists, the Taliban said it was responsible for the ambush on the army cadets, taking to five the number of attacks on police and military bases this week that involved the insurgents.

“This afternoon when a minibus carrying army cadets was coming out of the military academy, a suicide bomber on foot targeted them, martyring 15 and wounding four,” defence ministry spokesman said. Kabul Crime Branch chief General Mohammad Salim Almas said police have launched an investigation into the attack which happened in the west of the city.

In the deadliest of the recent attacks, around 50 Afghan soldiers were killed in a Taliban-claimed assault on a military base in Kandahar on Thursday. — AFP

Deteriorating security across Afghanistan 

• It was the fifth time since Tuesday that militants have launched a major attack against Afghanistan’s beleaguered security forces already badly demoralised by high casualties and desertions
• The spate of deadly attacks underscores deteriorating security across Afghanistan as the resurgent Taliban step up their attacks on security installations with devastating effect and Islamic State continue to target Shia mosques
• NATO’s Resolute Support mission tweeted that the latest incident was an “attack on the future” of Afghanistan. “This attack in #Kabul shows the insurgents are desperate and cannot win”, it said