... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name...
as Friday prayers were drawing to a close, killing 27 soldiers and wounding 57, the military said.
The blast may have been set off by a jacket wallah or a remotely detonated bomb but nothing was officially confirmed and details were sketchy. No group immediately grabbed credit for the kaboom.
President Ashraf Ghani
...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. ..condemned the attack in a statement as "anti-Islamic and inhumane". He also wanted to know how the army’s security was breached, demanding a swift investigation and the officials responsible held accountable.
It was the latest in a relentless, near-daily onslaughts in Afghanistan, where the Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
regularly target Afghan military and police forces throughout the country.
"There were soldiers lying everywhere and the smoke was so thick, it was difficult to see," said Abdullah, a front man at the base. Like most Afghans, he uses only one name.
The dead and maimed were ruÂÂshed to a clinic within the army base, while the more seriously maimed were taken to a nearby hospital.
Sakhi Sardar, head of the hospital in Khost said most of the maimed were being treated for devastating shrapnel wounds.
The defence ministry deployed four helicopters to the Ismail Khel district where the attack occurred to ferry the worst of the maimed to hospitals in Kabul.
| Tolo News adds: |
He said at least 10 army members were killed and 15 others were maimed in the kaboom.
According to him, all the soldiers were from the 2nd Regiment of Afghan National Army in Mandozai district in Khost.
Eyewitnesses and sources from Khost said the casualties are higher than expressed by army officials.