London Condemns Kabul Bombing as Taliban Ups Pressure on Afghan Govt
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has condemned the Taliban's "appalling" suicide attack on a vehicle belonging to the country's embassy on Thursday that killed six people, including two individuals working for the U.K. mission. "I am deeply saddened to confirm that a British national civilian security team member and an Afghan national working for the embassy were killed in the incident," said Hammond in a statement. "We will not allow such inhumanity to deter us from continuing our partnership with the Government of Afghanistan.", The assault on the British convoy was followed by another attack by two Taliban suicide bombers at a foreign guesthouse in a high-end neighborhood in central Kabul, where myriad embassies and international organizations reside. One foreign national was reportedly injured in the blast and an ensuing gun battle. The Taliban claimed responsibility for both bombings and described the ambush of the British embassy vehicle as a strike against "foreign invading forces," reports Reuters. Thursday's blasts come as the Taliban appears to be orchestrating an increasing number of acts of sabotage and violence against foreign installations across the Afghan capital, just as a lion's share of the international troops stationed in the country prepare to pullout after 13 years of war. In the last 10 days alone, Kabul has been rocked by at least eight separate blasts, according to Agence France-Presse. Earlier in the week, NATO confirmed that two foreign soldiers fighting with the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force were killed on Monday after a roadside bomb detonated near a military convoy traveling in Kabul. Amid the uptick in violence are signs U.S. President Barack Obama is reevaluating his earlier promise to end combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of the year. The New York Times reported late last week that the White House's calculus in the country appears to have shifted, after a new plan was authorized that will allow American troops to continue fighting Taliban insurgents there well into 2015.