KABUL // Taliban gunmen have killed eight Afghan guards working at the largest US base in Afghanistan, officials said on Tuesday.
It came as Washington appears set to boost its troop presence in the country.
The guards were ambushed near Bagram base north of Kabul as they were driving home in a convoy late on Monday, said district governor Abdul Shakoor Quddusi.
“They were all local residents serving as guards at Bagram,” he said, adding that two other guards were wounded.
The Taliban said it had carried out the attack, which came as the insurgents intensify their nationwide spring offensive against western and government targets.
Washington is expected to announce an increase soon in the US military deployment to Afghanistan, to bolster local forces who are struggling to contain the Taliban insurgency. US military commanders in Afghanistan have requested thousands of extra boots on the ground.
US troops in Afghanistan now number about 8,400, and there are another 5,000 from Nato allies, a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago. They mainly serve as trainers and advisers.
Bagram, around 50 kilometres north of Kabul, houses the largest contingent of US soldiers in the country.
Monday’s assault came after seven US soldiers were wounded on Saturday when an Afghan soldier opened fire at them inside a northern military base, the second “insider” attack in a week.
Analysts say such attacks are expected to increase this year as US troops work with the Afghan military to double the size of its special forces, considered to be effective in the fight against insurgents.
The Afghan conflict is the longest in American history, with US-led forces at war since the Taliban regime was ousted in 2001.
* Agence France-Presse
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 523hp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh469,000
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
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
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
