Deadly blast at Kabul airport as Taliban attacks surge

{Taliban claim responsibility for blast near Kabul’s airport that killed one civilian and wounded several others.}

At least one Afghan civilian was killed and several others were wounded after a suicide car bomb exploded at Kabul’s airport, Afghan officials have said.

The attack happened early on Monday morning near the airport’s military entrance, which is used by NATO and coalition forces, the Afghan interior ministry said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Reporting from Kabul, Al Jazeera’s Abdullah Shahood, said: “We have witnessed an increase in Taliban attacks this year, although it’s winter here and normally Taliban attacks decrease during the winter.

“But we have seen quite a number of attacks by the Taliban, in the south of the country and north of the country, even in Kabul.”

The attack comes a day after Pakistan’s army chief, General Raheel Sharif, visited Kabul to discuss peace talks with the Taliban.

“Both sides agreed that the first round of dialogue between Afghanistan, Pakistan, US and China will be held in January to lay out a comprehensive roadmap for peace,” the Afghan presidential palace said in a statement.

Earlier this month, a suicide bomber attacked a joint Afghan-NATO convoy near Bagram airbase outside Kabul, killing six US soldiers and wounding three others.

Afghan forces are currently battling to push out Taliban fighters who seized large swathes of the key opium-rich district of Sangin in southern Helmand province.

Source:Al Jazeera:[Deadly blast at Kabul airport as Taliban attacks surge->http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/12/car-bomb-explodes-kabul-airport-151228040700897.html]