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Twin blasts rock Jalalabad, Afghanistan
Concerns grow over the increased presence of ISIS fighters in Afghanistan, as the Taliban hopes to attain official international recognition
By News Desk - November 07 2021
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Smoke rising from the site of an attack in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. 13 May, 2018. (Photo credit: Xinhua/Saifurahman Safi)

Local sources in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, report that at least three people were killed and several were wounded in twin blasts that hit the capital of Nangarhar province on 7 November.

Eyewitness reports claim that the blasts were followed by gunfire.

The blasts are just the latest in a wave of terror attacks that have rocked Afghanistan in recent months, and which have been claimed by an ISIS cell operating in the country.

On 18 September, a series of explosions rattled Jalalabad, leaving three dead and 18 injured. The September attack was the first blast in the province since the Taliban came to power on 15 August.

More recently, two explosions hit Kabul on 2 November, as suicide bombers allied with ISIS targeted a military hospital.

The Islamic State of Khorasan (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility for the Kabul explosions.

Political experts are of the belief that the recent series of explosions in Jalalabad were also carried out by ISIS-K; however, no individual or group has claimed responsibility.

The increased attacks by this ISIS cell in Afghanistan come just as Taliban authorities work to attain official recognition from the international community, following their victory in the 20-year long, US-sponsored war.

While the US and its allies are pushing to isolate the Taliban in the hopes of further destabilizing the country, other nations such as Russia, China and Iran have remained cautiously hopeful and have asked Afghanistan’s new rulers to maintain security and stability across the country in order to attain official international recognition.

Russia, China and Iran have also called on the international community to “provide humanitarian assistance on an urgent basis” to Afghanistan as the country enters the winter months.

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