Roundup: Taliban-led militancy claim lives of 8 civilians in Afghanistan

The ongoing Taliban-led militancy has claimed the lives of eight civilians in the strife-torn Afghanistan since Sunday, officials confirmed Monday.

In the latest violent incident which happened in the restive Andar district of the eastern Ghazni province Monday morning left three civilians dead and injured another, spokesman for provincial government Shafiq Nang said.

"The gruesome incident occurred in Andar district today morning, leaving three women dead and injuring another," Nang told reporters here.

All the victims belong to the same family, he added.

The official blamed Taliban militants for organizing the bomb blast. However, the outfit which is largely relying on suicide and roadside bombing has yet to claim responsibility.

In the previous violent incident which took place in the northern Samangan province, five members of a family were killed, provincial police chief Mohammad Baqir Masoud said. "Several armed Taliban insurgents raided the house of pro- government elder Damullah Abdul Karim in Dara-e-Suf district and killed him along with four of his family members in the wee hours of Monday," Masoud told reporters.

Two militants were also killed during the firefight, the official added.

In a related incident, the Afghan intelligence agency, the National Directorate for Security (NDS), on Monday thwarted a Taliban attack on the Presidential Palace after the agency arrested four suicide bombers in 8th Police district in Kabul city, local media reported, citing a statement of NDS here.

Although the death of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has been officially confirmed by both the Afghanistan government and Taliban outfit, militants loyal to the hardliner group have been fighting the government to regain power.

Taliban's new leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor in an audio message attributed to him recently called on his fighters to get united and continue Jihad or holy war. Endi