An explosion yesterday hit a bus traveling on a highway between two key cities in western Afghanistan, killing at least 34 passengers, including children, and injuring 17, officials said.
Security has been deteriorating across Afghanistan, with the Taliban and Islamic State fighters mounting near-daily attacks on Afghan forces, government employees and civilians.
The blast on the highway linking the provincial capitals of Herat and Kandahar took place in Farah Province, provincial police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib said.
“The bomb was freshly planted by the Taliban insurgents to target Afghan and foreign security forces,” the spokesman said.
Taliban officials were not immediately available to comment on the statement and there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Government and aid officials have said that the numbers of those being killed and maimed is rising because of explosives newly planted by the Taliban, who now control more territory than at any point since their ouster nearly 18 years ago.
Yesterday’s blast comes ahead of presidential elections next month, when US officials and Taliban representatives are also due to resume talks to agree on a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign forces in exchange for security guarantees.
Last month, the Taliban made a vague pledge to reduce civilian casualties.
Civilians have long paid a disproportionate price in the nearly 18 years since the US invaded Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, the UN released a report showing that casualties in the first half of this year dropped 27 percent from the same period last year, which was a record — but 1,366 civilians were killed and another 2,446 injured.
Child casualties represented almost one-third of the overall total of civilian casualties.
The UN also said that US and pro-government forces caused more civilian deaths than the Taliban and other insurgent groups for the second consecutive quarter.
It branded efforts to reduce the violence “insufficient.”
The bloodshed is expected to rise after the launch this week of campaigning in Afghanistan’s presidential election, set for Sept. 28.
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