Turkey strongly condemns terror attacks in Afghanistan

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - Ankara strongly condemned the terror attacks that were perpetrated in the capital Kabul last week and Ghazni province on Sunday, Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

"We are deeply saddened that many people lost their lives and got injured as the result of the terror attacks perpetrated in Kabul last week and today in Ghazni, at a time when talks between parties to achieve peace in Afghanistan have intensified," the ministry said in a statement.

The statement came after a massive suicide car bombing killed at least 12 people and injured 50 others in Ghazni province.

Separately, at least 10 people were killed and 65 more injured in a suicide bombing followed by a gunfight at a Defense Ministry installation in Kabul last week.

The ministry extended condolences to the brotherly people of Afghanistan.

"Turkey will continue to stand by Afghanistan in its fight against terrorism," it added.

Amid Afghan peace talks in Qatar, the Taliban took responsibility for the deadly assault.

Last evening, the Taliban and the U.S. expressed optimism for peace in ongoing talks in the Qatari capital Doha.

U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said in a series of tweets on Saturday that the last six days of talks with the leadership of the Afghan insurgents were “most productive session to date.”

Talks between the U.S. and the Taliban are paused for two days as a group of Afghan politicians and civil society activists hold intra-Afghan dialogue at the same venue.