Afghanistan Observes National Day Of Mourning For Terror Victims

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (file photo)

Afghanistan has been observing a national day of mourning after three major terrorist attacks across the country killed at least 200 people and wounded more than 600 others in recent weeks.

President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement late on June 9 that national flags will fly at half-mast "to honor the memory of those martyred in the recent terrorist attacks."

The day of mourning on June 10 comes in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in the capital, Kabul and the south-eastern Khost and western Herat provinces.

Afghan officials say more than 150 people were killed and 460 others were wounded in a massive suicide truck bombing in Kabul, on May 31.The bombing was the deadliest single attack in Kabul since the ouster of the Taliban following the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

Police said at least 13 people were killed eight others wounded when a Taliban car bomb targeting a convoy of local militia forces went off in the city of Khost on May 27.

Meanwhile, a blast in a mosque in Herat killed at least seven people and wounded 15 others on June 6, local officials said.

Militant groups, including the Taliban and Islamic State (IS) often claim deadly attacks on military and civilian targets.

The Taliban has expanded its reach over the past two years, seizing control of several districts in different parts of the country.

The government is also struggling to combat an IS affiliate, which has a presence in eastern Afghanistan.

Ghani said on June 6 that over the past two years as many as 11,000 foreign fighters have joined the extremist group.

Based on reporting by dpa, tolonews.com, and AP