Afghan authorities said Sunday they had captured 11 people accused of carrying out a deadly attack on an Italian-led reconstruction team in western Afghanistan. At least four people were killed in two explosions in the city of Herat last month. One of the bombs targeted the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) while another went off in a crowded area in the city.
Both were claimed by the Taliban. Daud Sabbah, the Herat provincial governor, said 11 people “who plotted and executed the attacks have been arrested”. He said that among them was a man “who detonated the bomb in the city centre, near the Cinema Square”, he told reporters. The governor said a his security forces had also detained a suspected militant who wanted to attack the US consulate.
He said the suspect was wearing police uniform when captured. Herat, in western Afghanistan, is usually one of Afghanistan’s most peaceful cities and is due to be among the first wave of places to transition from foreign to Afghan security control from around July.
