Blinken Conveys 'Steadfast' US Support For Afghan Forces After School Attack - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2021) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a telephone conversation with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during which he conveyed the United States' commitment to supporting the Afghan security forces after the recent attack on a girls' school, State Department spokesperson Ned price said in a release on Friday.

"Secretary Blinken conveyed Eid greetings and expressed his deepest condolences to the families of those lost in recent violence in Afghanistan, including in the horrific attack on a girls' school in Kabul last week," Price said. "The Secretary conveyed America's steadfast support for the US-Afghan partnership and for Afghanistan's security forces."

Blinken and Ghani also discusses the importance of national unity in the country as well as regional efforts to advance the peace process, Price added.

On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called the bombing of a girls' school in Kabul an act of terrorism and a crime against humanity and called on the Taliban to stop killing innocent Afghans.

Price said the Taliban has denied responsibility for the attack.

On Saturday, a car bomb went off outside the Sayed-ul-Shuhada school in a Shia-majority neighborhood in western Kabul followed by two more blasts. The attack claimed at least 63 lives and left more than 150 wounded.

Despite the ongoing peace talks, the Afghan government and the Taliban continue fighting each other on the ground. The confrontation unfolds on the backdrop of the withdrawal of US-led foreign troops, which is expected to complete on September 11.