KABUL: Two Taliban suicide bombers hit army buses in Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least seven people in a coordinated attack, officials said, a day after the new Afghan government signed a deal for US troops to stay in the country.

The Taliban, who strongly opposed the agreement, claimed responsibility for the early-morning blasts that targeted vehicles taking military employees to work in the capital.

“There have been two suicide attacks targeting buses carrying Afghan national army personnel,” Farid Afzali, chief of the city’s police investigation department, said.

“Six military personnel and one civilian were killed in one attack, and 15 were injured. Four military personnel were injured in the other attack.”

Ministry of Defence spokesman General Zahir Azimi confirmed the death toll.

There were conflicting reports, however, on whether the attackers were on foot or driving cars laden with explosives.

The Taliban said at least 20 soldiers were killed. “This is a clear message to the stooge government that signed the slave pact, and we will step up our attacks after this,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Afghanistan and the United States on Tuesday signed the long-delayed bilateral security agreement to allow about 10,000 US troops to stay in the country next year.

The signing took place on newly-inaugurated President Ashraf Ghani’s first day in office and represented a major step towards mending frayed ties between Kabul and Washington.

The US-led Nato combat operations in Afghanistan will finish at the end of this year, and the Taliban have launched a series of offensives that have severely tested Afghan soldiers and police.

Nato’s follow-up mission, which will take over on January 1, will be made up of 9,800 US troops and about 3,000 soldiers from Germany, Italy and other member nations.

The new mission — named Resolute Support — will focus on supporting Afghan forces as they take on the militants, in parallel with US counter-terrorism operations.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2014