Truck bomb in eastern Afghan city kills five, Taliban claim responsibility

At least 5 people were killed Thursday when a truck full of explosives exploded near a court in the city of Gardez, in eastern Afghanistan, during An attack claimed by the Taliban.

"There was a car bomb explosion near a military court in the town of Gardez, which is a populated area. Dozens of civilians are reported to have died or injured, "said a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. A military spokesman said 5 people died and 14 were injured.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the rebel group was responsible for the attack.

The Taliban have largely refrained from launching major attacks on Afghan cities since a February agreement with the United States was to pave the way for peace talks with the Kabul government. However, the group sees a political deadlock between President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah as a sign of weakness.

Armed men broke into a maternity hospital in west Kabul on Tuesday, triggering an hour-long shootout with police and killing 16 people, including newborns, mothers and an unspecified number of nurses. On the same day, at least 24 people died and dozens were injured in a suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State during a funeral in eastern East 39; Afghanistan.

After the attacks, Ghani said that the Afghan security forces would go on the offensive against the Taliban and other militant groups. The Taliban, who denied being involved in any of the attacks, responded that they were "fully prepared" to repel any military offensive.