New Afghanistan plan receives praise from GOPers, military
President Trump's policy is giving his military commanders more troops without timetables for withdrawal; Jennifer Griffin reports for 'Special Report'
The Taliban on Wednesday killed seven in a suicide car bombing that targeted a military convoy in Afghanistan, days after President Trump announced his new strategy for the country.
The attack occurred in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, a provincial official said.
According to Omar Zwak, the spokesman for the Helmand provincial governor, Wednesday's explosion in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, also wounded 42 people, mostly civilians.
Initial reports show that those killed included a small girl, two women and four soldiers, Zwak said, expressing fears that the death toll could rise further.
"This is from our initial reports, I am afraid the casualty tolls might change once we get a final report form the attack," he added.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in a posting on his twitter account.
Senior Afghan government officials on Tuesday welcomed Trump's strategy announcement from Monday.
Senior U.S. officials said Trump may send up to 3,900 more troops, with some deployments beginning almost immediately.
Trump also had harsh words for Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of giving extremists a safe haven, while next door in Afghanistan they kill U.S. troops. He said he wanted "immediate" results without saying what actions the United States might take against Pakistan if it ignored his warning.
The U.S. and Afghanistan have routinely accused Pakistan -- and particularly its powerful intelligence agency -- of harboring insurgents and of waging a selective war, attacking those militants Islamabad considers its enemy and allowing those it has been known to use as proxies, either against hostile neighbors India or Afghanistan, to flourish.
“America's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will,” the president said.
Taliban attacks have stepped up all across Afghanistan since the withdrawal of foreign combat forces from the war-torn nation at the end of 2014, and the insurgents have lately been constantly expanding their footprint.
Earlier this month, the Taliban in an "open letter" to Trump, reiterated their calls for the withdrawal of all remaining U.S. troops. The United States has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, who support local forces and carry out counterterrorism operations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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