At least nine members of Afghanistan's intelligence were killed in a suicide car bombing on Monday that the Taliban said was a response to President Ashraf Ghani's declaration of war on the insurgents last week.
At least 40 others were wounded when the bomber drove a stolen military Humvee loaded with explosives into a National Directorate of Security base near Ghazni city in eastern Afghanistan, according to Arif Noori, the spokesman for the governor of Ghazni province.
He said eight of the wounded were in critical condition and were transferred to the capital, Kabul, for treatment.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents were behind the attack. The group controls most of the countryside in Ghazni and twice seized its main city for brief periods in recent years.
The attack came a day after President Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah signed a power-sharing accord in Kabul, ending a bitter feud over the presidential election in September. The deal raised hopes of launching peace talks between the government and the Taliban as part of an agreement between the insurgents and the United States.
The Taliban stepped up attacks on Afghan security forces after the February 29 deal, which only committed them to not attacking foreign forces in Nato's US-led support mission in Afghanistan.
On Sunday in Ghazni, gunmen killed five people – three civilians and two police officers – as they were travelling in the district of Jaghatu. The interior minister's spokesman Tariq Arian blamed the Taliban for the attack.
Last Tuesday, militants stormed a maternity hospital in Kabul, killing 24 people, including mothers, nurses and two babies. The same day, a suicide bomber killed 32 people and wounding 133 others at the funeral of a pro-government militia commander and former warlord in the eastern province of Nangarhar. The funeral attack was claimed by ISIS, but no group claimed responsibility for the hospital attack.
In a televised speech hours after the attacks, Mr Ghani called on security forces to attack the Taliban, reversing the defensive posture taken by the government as it prepared for talks with the insurgents.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
