Explosion Near Afghanistan’s Defense Minister’s Home in Kabul

Last night hours after the Afghan army urged residents to evacuate ahead of an operation against the Taliban, a car bomb exploded near the home of Afghanistan’s acting defense minister in Kabul. According to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior Affairs, eight civilians died in the attack and around 20 people are being treated for injuries. Following the explosion, four assailants were killed by Afghan security. Afghanistan’s Acting Defense Minister, Bismillah Mohammadi was not home during the attack and he and his family are safe. A spokesman for the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on behalf of the group. Kabul was hit by another explosion this morning which resulted in two wounded people that were taken to the hospital.

Recently, the U.S. has ramped up airstrikes on the Taliban in an attempt to halt their advances on Lashkar Gah. According to the Long War Journal, a U.S. nonprofit that tracks control of territory in Afghanistan, the Taliban now controls 13 of 16 districts in the Herat province where fighting is ongoing. The majority of Taliban’s territorial gain has happened since the United States began withdrawing troops in May following President Biden’s announcement to pull them out of the country by the end of this month. According to the Pentagon, about 95% of U.S. troops have left.