An unspecified explosion carried out by the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province that left four security officers dead has sent the war-torn country’s security officials into a tizzy.
The strike targeted the governor’s compound in Kunduz on Sunday when the governor’s bodyguards were playing volleyball, The New York Times reported.
“It is not clear that it was an explosion or a missile or drone attack,” said Ghulam Rabbani Rabbani, a member of Kunduz’s provincial council, to the paper.
Fazal Karim Aimaq, a member of the province’s parliament, further fueled the speculation by writing on Facebook that the explosion is “a new method of attack.
Although a Taliban spokesman did not respond to a request for comment to the US daily, British newspaper The Times wrote, quoting a Taliban member, that the group had a “fun new weapon” at its disposal.
Unreported Instances of Drone Attacks
Taliban have reportedly been using small unmanned aircraft to monitor US forces at their bases. The US Army is making efforts to explore ways to counter them, specifically through solid-state lasers and high-power microwave directed energy weapons.
Apart from that, however, there have also been unreported instances of the remote-controlled devices being used by the Taliban to drop munitions, The New York Times said, citing unmanned US army officials.
For example, in a similar strike in May this year, the compound of Kunduz’s governor was targeted while a farewell party was being held there, killing one person.
Initially, it was thought that a missile had struck the place, but later local officials said they believed a drone may have carried out the attack because of its precise nature.
Before that, in March, Afghan forces claimed to have shot down one of the drones.
The strike has come after the deadliest month in Afghanistan for civilians since September 2019, according to data compiled by The New York Times, reporting at least 212 people killed.
The situation could be worse after the US forces withdraw from the war-torn country – as per a February 29 peace agreement signed with the Taliban – leaving the Afghan forces staring at the insurgent group, which seemingly has added another dimension to their arsenal.