At least two people were killed and 19 others injured on Saturday in Jalalabad in the first deadly attacks in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime since the departure of US troops on August 30.
The attacks, at least one of which targeted a Taliban police car, illustrate the still precarious security situation in the country, where the new regime has vowed to restore peace and stability after more than four decades of war.
A total of three explosions took place in Jalalabad, a Taliban official said on condition of anonymity. None were claimed on Saturday afternoon. The first, which targeted a Taliban vehicle patrolling the city, left “at least two dead and 20 injured”, according to the official.
An official from the Nangarhar health department, of which Jalalabad is the capital, reported three dead and 18 injured in the attacks.
Main focus of the rebels
Nangarhar, in the east of the country, is the main focus of rebels from the Islamic State in Afghanistan (IS-K) group, rivals of the Taliban and who claimed responsibility for the bombing that killed more than 100 at Kabul airport August 26.
These attacks come a month after the takeover of the country by the Taliban who have repeatedly assured that the end of the Western military presence will put an end to the violence.
Until these attacks, life had started to resume its course, far from the chaotic scenes of the evacuations at the end of August at Kabul airport. The first international commercial flights resumed this week, with Pakistan and Iran in particular, and young Afghan boys have returned to school.