Taliban close Kabul-Kandahar highway in Ghazni

GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok): Taliban-Kandahar highway for traffic, an official said on Saturday.

Mohammad Arif Noori, the governor’s spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News the militants bombed the bridges on the Kabul-Kandahar highway in Aab Band district.

He said five militants were killed by the bomb they were planting to destroy a bridge in the Qarabagh district of the province.

“The highway has since been closed but people could move use an alternative route,” he explained. Afghan National Army soldiers have arrived at the site to control the situation.

Noorullah a resident of the Qarabagh district, said the Taliban had blocked the highway in Lewani Bazaar and Abdullah Gul areas. The militants had set up checkpoints and allowed no car to pass through the areas, he added.

Taliban also confirmed highway closure, with their spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied blowing up the bridges. He also said there was a diversion civilians could use, he concluded.

sa/mud