Taliban Bombings in Afghanistan Kill 48

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for two bombings in Afghanistan killing 48 people. The first bombing occurred during a campaign rally for President Ashraf Ghani killing at least 26 people and wounding more than 30 others. The second bombing took place “not far from the U.S. Embassy” in Kabul, and killed 22 people. President Ghani “vehemently condemned” the attacks, adding that the people at the rally were there “to defend the republic and their democratic rights to uphold elections” and the “Taliban tried to break this unity by targeting innocent civilians.” He also emphasized how the “escalation of terrorist attacks by the Taliban and their emphasis on killing the Afghan people have failed the Taliban’s talks with the United States.” The U.S., Afghanistan, and Taliban had been engaged in talks to reach a peace agreement, but President Trump “called off peace negotiations” on September 7th after the Taliban claimed responsibility for “an attack in Kabul that killed one of [the United States’] soldiers, and 11 other people.” Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, had said this decision “will lead to more losses to the U.S.”