A suicide car bomb hit a military base in Afghanistan on Sunday and killed at least 26 security personnel, authorities said, in one of the bloodiest attacks in recent months.
The attack occurred outside the city of Ghazni, the capital of eastern Ghazni province, which has seen regular fighting between the Taliban and government forces.
It came as the government and the Taliban are engaged in peace talks to end the war in the impoverished country that has killed tens of thousands of people in nearly two decades.
“We have received 26 bodies and 17 wounded so far. They are all security personnel, ”Baz Mohammad Hemat, director of the Ghazni hospital, told AFP.
Nasir Ahmad Faqiri, a member of the Ghazni provincial council, confirmed the death toll.
Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian, a suicide bomber had detonated a vehicle filled with explosives.
So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Ghazni attack comes just days after two bombs killed 14 people in the historic city of Bamiyan, ending years of calm in the isolated city famous for its ancient Buddhist heritage.
Sunday’s bombing marked the last major attack in Afghanistan, where violence has escalated since peace talks began on September 12 in the Qatari capital Doha.
The brutal attacks have killed more than 50 people in Kabul in recent weeks, including two assaults on educational facilities and a rocket attack.
The Kabul attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group, but Afghan officials blamed the Taliban, who denied any involvement.
The Taliban have launched daily attacks against Afghan forces despite participating in the peace talks.
The talks had been mired in disputes over the agenda, the basic framework for discussions and religious interpretations, but now agreement has been reached on all issues, according to sources close to the talks.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for “expedited discussions” during a visit to Doha last week during which he met with negotiators from the Afghan and Taliban governments.
The Pentagon said earlier this month that it would soon withdraw about 2,000 troops from Afghanistan, speeding up the schedule for a full withdrawal to May 2021, as agreed with the Taliban in a separate agreement signed in February.
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