18 Jul 2018 | 07:21 PM UTC
Afghanistan: Deadly IS and Taliban attacks in Sar-e Pol and Kandahar July 17
In separate incidents July 17, Islamic State (IS) suicide bomber kills at least 17 people in Sar-e Pol province, including a Taliban commander, and Taliban attack kills nine police officers in Kandahar province
Event
An Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP) suicide bomber killed at least 17 people in an attack in Sar-e Pol province on Tuesday, July 17. Afghan officials confirmed that one of the victims was a local Taliban commander. As of Wednesday, July 18, further details about the bombing were still unclear as local sources gave conflicting reports about the attack. While one local official reported the bombing occurred during a funeral at a mosque, another said the bombing targeted a meeting between village elders and Taliban leaders.
In a separate incident in Arghistan (Kandahar province) on July 17, Taliban militants reportedly attacked a police checkpoint, killing at least nine policemen and wounding seven more. The Afghan police reported that 25 Taliban fighters were killed in the resulting exchange of fire.
Context
IS-KP and the Taliban are both active in Afghanistan and have both carried out several attacks on Afghan security personnel and civilians in recent months. Increased fighting between the two militant groups has been reported in recent days in northern Afghanistan.
Advice
As a reminder, Western governments advise their citizens against all but essential travel to Afghanistan. Individuals traveling around Afghanistan, including Kabul, are advised to seek professional security advice, to continually reassess their personal security, to maintain contact and report movements, and to stay away from protests, demonstrations, and large gatherings.
