Suicide truck bomb kills 21 people in Afghanistan

A suicide truck bombing targeting a guest house in eastern Afghanistan killed 21 people as the country braces for violence amid a withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Officials confirmed to The Associated Press that 21 people died and as many as 90 others were wounded.

It was not immediately clear why the guest house was targeted, but the Afghan government pinned the blame on the Taliban. 

It did not immediately appear that the bombing was tied to the U.S. troop withdrawal, but the country is bracing for attacks amid warnings from the Taliban as American armed forces retreat.

The U.S., under a deal the Trump administration made with the Taliban, said it would withdraw all forces by May 1.

However, President Biden has pushed that deadline back to Sept. 11, and the troops started to pull back only this week. 

That delay has led to threats from the Taliban that it could resume attacks on coalition forces.

“As withdrawal of foreign forces from #Afghanistan by agreed upon May 1st deadline has passed, this violation in principle has opened the way for [Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan] Mujahidin to take every counteraction it deems appropriate against the occupying forces,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Saturday.

“The Mujahidin of IEA will now await what decision the leadership of Islamic Emirate takes in light of the sovereignty, values and higher interests of the country, and will then take action accordingly, Allah willing,” he added. 

The Taliban has largely refrained from attacks on the U.S. and coalition forces since the agreement was reached with the Trump administration, but violence against Afghan military personnel and civilians has continued.

Critics of Biden’s withdrawal plan say that the Afghan security forces might be unable to stave off a Taliban takeover without a U.S. military presence in the country.