Under new leadership, the Taliban attacked a police academy in Kabul on Friday, killing as many as 60 people, including one U.S. soldier.
The suicide bomber dressed as a police officer and detonated himself among students at the academy in Afghanistan’s capital, which is situated near a U.S. Special Forces base called Camp Integrity.
Peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani have stalled since confirmation of Mullah Mohammad Omar’s death two years ago surfaced last week. The terrorist group chose Mullah Akhtar Mansour as his successor and Friday’s attacks were the first claimed by the Taliban under his leadership.
Separately, the Taliban has not said it was behind a truck bomb that exploded less than 24 hours earlier, killing at least 15 people.
National Security Adviser Susan Rice called Ghani to offer condolences and discuss the situation while President Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser, Lisa Monaco, spoke to her Afghan counterpart, Hanif Atmar, on Saturday, the White House stated.
Both “reaffirmed U.S. support for Afghanistan” and its unity government “as it confronts terrorists who target innocent civilians and threaten the stability and security of Afghanistan,” according to the White House.
