KABUL, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Two suicide bombings struck the fortified Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday within a span of a few minutes killing and injuring over three dozen people, according to preliminary reports.
Hours later of the attacks, Zabihullah Majahid who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit, in contact with media outlets claimed responsibility for both the bloody offensives.
In the first attack which occurred in the western edge of Kabul city, a suicide bomber reportedly exploded his explosive device behind the wall of police department in the 6th Police District at noon, enabling few more militants to enter inside the compound and begun targeting anyone inside.
In the second attack, which happened minutes later in Arzan Qimat locality in the 12th district in the eastern edge of Kabul, the attacker was killed and three others injured.
Afghan observers believe that like in past years the Taliban militants would intensify military activities with the herald of spring in the war-battered Afghanistan.
The militants, according to local observers, have already speeded up operations in the eastern, northern, southern and western region of the country.
Besides organizing two suicide bombings in Kabul, the militant group similarly attacked several checkpoints outside Mehtarlam city, capital of the eastern Laghman province inflicting casualties on the same day on Wednesday.
In their latest move to expand their grip, Taliban militants launched coordinated offensives in parts of the northern Baghlan province over the weekend and since then sporadic fighting has been continuing in Baghlan-e-Markazi, Dand-e-Ghori, Doshi and Tala-o-Barfak districts of the northern Baghlan province.
Likewise, Taliban fighters have been fighting government forces in the northern Kunduz, northeastern Badakhshan, western Farah and the southern Helmand province.
In militancy-plagued Afghanistan, nowadays the weather is getting warm and the war-weary Afghans are preparing to celebrate Nawroz or New Year falling on March 21 in Persian calendar amid fears of escalating conflict in their country.
The militancy and conflict, according to local observers, like the past years would definitely get momentum in Afghanistan during spring and summer commonly known as "fighting seasons" among Afghans.
