A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack on the police academy in Kabul. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for two of them.
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A bomb exploded in the centre of the Afghan capital, killing several people. It became the deadliest day in Kabul for years.
The blast was unusually powerful in a city often targeted by the Taliban and other militants seeking to destabilize the troubled unity government led by Ghani. Many Afghans use only one name.
After the Taliban confirmed Omar’s death, a leadership struggle engulfed the upper echelons of the group.
President Ghani insisted the government was still committed to peace but said it “will respond to these sort of terrorist attacks with force and power”.
The appointment of Mullah Omar’s deputy, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, to succeed him sparked protests from his brother and son, and appeared to have led to serious rifts that internal committees were trying to heal. According to Afghan intelligence, Mr. Omar died more than two years ago in a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Previously seen as open to reviving peace talks, the Taliban have since pledged to press on with the insurgency that has killed and wounded hundreds this yr.
It said civilian casualties were at record highs, with women and children a growing percentage of the victims. A Taliban spokesman said the group was assessing whether its fighters were involved.
Friday’s bombings ended a month-long lull in violence in Kabul and shocked many residents. An hourslong firefight ensued.
Explosions and gunfire also erupted when Camp Integrity, a US special forces base in Kabul, came under attack late Friday, killing nine people, including a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation service member.
In a separate incident, an explosion struck the capital on Friday close to the airport, security sources said, targeting an area close to coalition bases and Afghan government buildings. “Instead of wasting energy in a direct confrontation with the U.S., we should focus on an armed uprising in the Arab world for the establishment of the caliphate”, the document said. The base houses U.S. and coalition troops that help train Afghan forces.
“Our nation is in mourning”, said Aryan Afghan, who took part in the vigil.
The three attacks have resulted to the death of at least 50 people, making Friday the single bloodiest day for Kabul in recent years.
Meanwhile Saturday in eastern Nangarhar province, a roadside bomb killed a traffic police officer and a civilian and wounded three near a checkpoint in Surkh Rod district, authorities said.
Hashimi was referring to an apparent struggle for succession within both the Taliban and the allied Haqqani network.
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Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban – who were toppled from power in the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan – told AFP the insurgent group was behind the attack.
