The Iranian crisis has not yet died down that another American front dramatically remembered in memory of the White House this Saturday. Two GIs were killed, and two others injured, this Saturday in southern Afghanistan, according to the NATO mission there. This homemade bomb attack has been claimed by the Taliban.
A NATO spokesperson earlier today reported on the morning bombing near Kandahar. Then a Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the explosion killed all the passengers in the vehicle.
Stalled negotiations
"Two members of the United States forces were killed and two others injured during a mission today when their vehicle was hit by a homemade bomb in the province of Kandahar," said spokesman for Resolute Support, the Atlantic Alliance mission in the country. The attack took place near the city of Kandahar in the Dand district, provincial police spokesman Jamal Nasir Barkzai said at midday.
"Foreign forces were patrolling near Kandahar airport when they were hit by the explosion," also added the local police. The attack came when the United States and the Taliban have still not resumed discussions on an agreement to withdraw American forces from the country.
"Reduction of violence" vs "withdrawal of troops"
The United States now demands a "reduction of violence" before any resumption of these negotiations. They were suspended in September after an attack in which an American soldier also died, then in December after a complex attack on a base controlled by American forces. The message clearly did not get through.
The Taliban have so far ruled out any ceasefire as a prerequisite for negotiations with the United States. They demand the complete withdrawal of American forces from the country, with which they have been in conflict since 2001, when they ousted them from power.
