Afghan and foreign soldiers inspect the site of a bomb attack that targeted several armored vehicles belonging to forces attached to the NATO Resolute Support Mission, in downtown of Kabul. Image: Massoud Hossaini / AP/Press Association Images

Taliban have targeted a UK military convoy in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan in retaliation for airstrikes on the northern city of Kunduz, confirmed today by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). The incident occurred in a central residential area during rush hour, initially there were conflicting reports as to the cause with MOD saying the convoy was struck by IED whilst Afghan police claimed it was a suicide attack.

Spokesman Col Brian Tribus for US – led Resolute Support military coalition in the region confirmed the attack to AP news agency stating there were “no casualties are reported at this time. However several civilians are reported to have been injured.

This comes just over a week after the aerial bombing of a Médecins Sans Frontières hospital in Kunduz in which 22 people, 12 MSF staff members and 10 patients were killed. Thirty-seven people were injured, including 19 members of the MSF team. The organization had recently given GPS coordinates of the trauma hospital to Coalition and Afghan military to avoid being targeted and labelled the attack a “war crime” demanding an independent and transparent investigation. The Taliban had recently taken over the city which led to a fierce battle with Afghan military or control of the area.

Islamic Emirate posted their statement claiming responsibility,

Kabul martyr attack destroys 2 APCs

KABUL, Oct. 11 – A martyrdom attack has struck the military convoy of foreign forces in the heart of Kabul city this morning, according to officials reporting from the capital.

The attack carried out by a hero of Islamic Emirate – Rahmatullah Khostwal – using a sedan vehicle packed with explosives targeted the convoy in PD2 of the city as a result 2 military vehicles were completely destroyed, killing all the invaders onboard.

This attack was carried out on foreign forces in the heart of Kabul city to avenge the recent attacks by the invaders targeting civilians in Kunduz and other provinces.

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Veterans for Peace released the following statement recently calling for an end to hostilities in Afghanistan and a withdrawal of troops,

“if the attack was indeed deliberate, then it is a very serious war crime.  We support Doctors Without Borders’ call for an independent investigation.  We have seen what happens when the Pentagon is allowed to investigate itself.  It is high time that the U.S. military be held accountable for the deaths of innocent civilians. We call for all involved, up to the highest level, to be held accountable.

Veterans For Peace also calls for the end of the U.S. led war in Afghanistan and all military personnel brought home. This latest tragedy is not the first U.S. incident in Afghanistan that may be considered a war crime.  The U.S. invasion and occupation that began fourteen-years ago today, has done no favors for the Afghan people. There have been countless incidents where wedding parties, for example, have become “collateral damage.”  Whether by careless mistakes or ruthless deliberate targeting, many thousands of Afghani civilians have been killed. According to a report from the Watson Institute For International Studies at Brown University, 311,000 people — dead and seriously wounded — have become casualties in the interrelated war zones of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Most are combatants, but 117,000 of these casualties are civilians. And though it is extremely hard to document, it is estimated that an additional 360,000 people have died in Afghanistan from the negative effects of war, for example, on public health infrastructure and as a consequence of displacement and malnutrition.”

– See more at: http://www.veteransforpeace.org/index.php?cID=845#sthash.aWA8dr2I.dpuf

The Taliban are making significant gains in their efforts to reclaim old territory. As Long War Journal reported,

“while fighting for control of the provincial capital of Kunduz, the Taliban launched a wider offensive in the Afghan north aimed at seizing control of districts in five provinces: Badakhshan, Baghlan, Faryab, Kunduz, and Takhar. Since Sept. 28, the jihadist group has taken control of 11 districts in these five provinces and another in the western province of Farah.”

LWJ has reported further that according to the Taliban they have gone on to seize control of the districts of Garziwan and Pashtun Kot in Faryab province and a recent posting from an account linked to the Taliban states they are now making progress in the Ghorak district of Kandahar.

The latest updates from Abdulqahar Balkhi, a Twitter account affiliated with Islamic Emirate are as follows,

Breaking Mujahidin overran Ghorak district admin center (#Kandahar), police HQ & large CP, 20 gunmen killed, vehicles/arms seized #Azm

Mujahidin begun large scale attacks on Tagab district center (#Kapisa), district bazaar cleared, attacks underway on HQ buildlings #Azm

Reminder :: Alisay district center also under tight siege for past 3 days, enemy troops in contact trying to surrender #Azm

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad.  She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.