Afghanistan

7 killed, 41 injured in Afghanistan car bomb explosion

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At least seven people have lost their lives and 41 others have been injured in a car bomb blast by Taliban militants in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand, officials say.

On Wednesday, a bomber detonated his explosives-laden car near a complex that houses the governor, the head of the provincial council and the deputy provincial police chief in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, Deputy Provincial Governor Mohammad Jan Rasolyar said.

All three survived the attack that “was targeted at a gathering of senior government officials, civil society members and journalists in a hall for a seminar on human trafficking and kidnapping,” Rasolyar added.

The injured, including provincial government spokesman Omar Zhwak, were taken to hospital.

Last month, the Afghan army began an operation against Taliban militants in Helmand to weaken them before the start of the so-called “fighting season,” which traditionally begins in April or May.

The army operation, code-named “Zolfiqar,” was the Afghan troops’ first major offensive after US-led forces ended their combat mission in the war-torn country.

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The military offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues across the country despite the presence of thousands of US-led troops.

The US-led combat mission in Afghanistan ended on December 31, 2014. However, at least 13,500 foreign forces, mainly from the United States, have remained in Afghanistan in what the US is calling a support mission.

US-led NATO says the forces will focus mainly on counterterrorism and training Afghan soldiers as well as police officers

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