INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A motorcycle suicide bomber killed at least 8 people near a Muslim clerics gathering (Representational)
A motorcycle suicide bomber killed at least eight people near a gathering of
Muslim clerics in the Afghan capital after they had issued a fatwa against suicide bombings, officials said, in the latest in a series of
attacks to hit Kabul.The bomb exploded at the entrance to a giant tent, near residential buildings in the west of Kabul, after most of the
clerics had left, a witness said
Women living nearby were crying as they gathered with their families."People were wounded, people were shouting," a witness told Reuters.No
group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which underlines deteriorating security ahead of parliamentary and district council
20. Afghan security forces keep watch at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan June 4, 2018 (Reuters)The Taliban, fighting to
restore strict Islamic rule after their 2001 ouster at the hands of U.S.-led troops, denied involvement.More than 2,000 religious scholars
from across the country began meeting on Sunday at the Loya Jirga (Grand Council) tent, denouncing years of conflict
They issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, outlawing suicide bombings and demanding that Taliban terrorists restore peace to allow foreign
troops to leave.A series of bombings in Kabul has killed dozens of people in recent months and shown no sign of easing during the Muslim
holy month of Ramadan.On Wednesday, gunmen armed with assault rifles and grenade launchers stormed the heavily fortified headquarters of the
interior ministry, battling security forces for more than two hours. The bomb exploded at the entrance to a giant tent, near residential
buildings in the west of Kabul (Reuters)In April, two explosions in Kabul killed at least 26 people, including nine journalists who had
arrived to report on an initial blast and were targeted by a suicide bomber.A week earlier, 60 people were killed and more than 100 wounded
when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a voter registration centre in the city.Terror group ISIS has claimed responsibility for many
attacks in Kabul but security officials say several are much more likely to be the work of the Haqqani network, a group affiliated with the
Taliban.Provincial cities have also been hit as the Taliban have stepped up operations across the country since they announced the beginning
of their annual spring offensive in April.© Thomson Reuters 2018
