A suicide car bomber struck a U.S. military convoy in the
Afghan capital, killing at least eight Afghan civilians and
wounding three U.S. service members in an attack claimed by the Islamic State
group.
Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry,
confirmed the toll and said another 25 Afghan civilians were wounded in the morning
rush-hour attack near the U.S. Embassy, which destroyed several civilian
vehicles
U.S. Navy Cpt. Bill Salvin, a military spokesman, confirmed
that three soldiers were wounded in the attack.
The Islamic State group claimed the attack in a statement carried
by its Aamaq media arm. An affiliate of the extremist group has gathered
strength in recent years, and is now at war with both the U.S.-backed
government and the much larger Taliban insurgency.
Afghan forces have struggled to combat both groups since the
U.S. and NATO officially concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014,
switching to a support and counterterrorism role. The U.S. has more than 8,000
troops in the country.The Taliban and IS both aspire to overthrow the Afghan
government and impose a harsh version of Islamic law, but they are fiercely
divided over leadership and tactics.
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