KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2020) The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) on Tuesday warned of retaliation after the Taliban took responsibility for a car bomb explosion and a mass attack on an NDS building in the northern province of Samangan.
On Monday, Afghan media reported a strong explosion near the NDS office in Samangan. The most recent reports suggested that at least 11 NDS staffs and eight civilians were killed, while 58 others were injured in the incident. The Taliban took responsibility for the incident, saying it was in response to operations by Afghan forces in northern provinces that targeted insurgents, such as the Sangin incident in Helmand, and violations of the peace deal with the US.
"In response to the mass attacks in Samangan province, all operational and combat units of our forces have been prepared to launch operations on Taliban and their foreign terrorist groups and they will be avenged," the NDS said in a statement.
According to the Taliban, the situation will further escalate until all 5,000 of their prisoners are released by Kabul, as envisioned by the agreement.
Meanwhile, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) on Tuesday published the report on the number of casualties over the first six months of the year.
"Findings by AIHRC indicate that in the first six months of 2020 a total of 2,957 civilians have been killed or injured in 880 different security incidents (1,213 killed, 1,744 injured)," the report said, adding that 126 women were killed and 171 others were injured, as well as 225 children were killed and 405 others were injured.
According to the commission, the Afghan forces have been responsible for 15.5 percent of civilian casualties, the Taliban for 48.5 percent and unknown perpetrators for 26.7 percent, while the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) for 6.3 percent and foreign forces for 2.3 percent.
