Authorities stepped up security in the Afghan capital yesterday after a spate of bombings that were condemned by President Hamid Karzai as attacks on innocent civilians, while dozens of suspected militants died in clashes in the volatile south.
Kabul was hit on Wednesday by multiple bombs for the second day in a row, killing one person and wounding nearly 50, raising fears that Taliban militants were bring their fight to the capital.
The city has been largely spared the wave of violence that has roiled the volatile east and south of the country this year, leaving hundreds dead.
"The enemies of Afghanistan once again showed by attacking innocent civilians that they want to bring misery and destruction to Afghanistan, but the people of Afghanistan will never allow this to happen," Karzai said in a statement from Tokyo.
"Afghanistan will continue to rebuild its security institutions and these incidents will never hurt the desire of the Afghan people for a better future," he said.'
He ordered authorities to investigate the bombings and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The three bombs targeted buses carrying government workers and army officers as they headed to work by bus. On Tuesday, two similar bombings hit Kabul, wounding 10.
Kabul Police Chief General Ama-nullah Ghuzar said extra police would man checkpoints around the city.
US-led coalition forces, meanwhile, continued their hunt for Taliban forces, killing an estimated 35 militants in a strike against a compound at Musa Qala in southern Helmand Province late on Tuesday, a coalition statement said. One British soldier was killed on patrol in a separate attack, the sixth British soldier to die in combat in Afghanistan since last month.
Coalition and Afghan security forces launched operations near Mount Zubaida in southern Zabul Province on Wednesday night, killing three suspected Taliban fighters and arresting four others, according to provincial police chief Noor Mohammad Paktin.
Four other militants were killed and six arrested during search operations in Shingai district, he said.
Also, one Afghan soldier was killed and three wounded three when they came under militant attack. Three insurgents were also killed, he said.
More than 10,000 coalition and Afghan forces have been deployed across southern Afghanistan to hunt for Taliban fighters blamed for a rash of deadly ambushes and suicide attacks, as the hardline militia tries to regain control of its former heartland. More than 700 people have been killed since May, mostly militants.
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