About 150 killed in Afghan attacks in January

More than 150 people have been killed while nearly the same number wounded in increased Taliban-led attacks and conflicts last month, according to official data. About 16 suicide bomb attacks occurred across the war-torn country in January. The national capital of Kabul has experienced the worst attacks over the past year. In one attack, 21 people, including 13 foreigners and eight Afghans, were killed and four others seriously wounded on Jan. 17. when a Taliban suicide bomber and two gunmen launched an attack against Lebanese Restaurant, a popular place in central Kabul. Two Lebanese, two Canadians, three Americans, two Briton, a Denmark citizen and a Malaysian were among the victims. Out of total casualties were five women and three UN staff. The Taliban insurgent group fighting Afghan national forces and more than 57, 000 NATO-led coalition troops announced late last year that they will continue their attacks, adding there will be no pause in Taliban activities during the winter. They urged civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as the legitimate targets by militants besides warning people not to support the government and foreign troops. On Jan. 30, four suicide blasts occurred in eastern Nangarhar, southern Helmand and western Herat provinces, killing two policemen and injuring three other people. In two separate incident last month, eight Afghan sportsmen were killed and three others wounded in a Taliban rocket attack in Kandahar and a shooting attack in eastern Laghman province. On Jan. 26, two air force members and two civilians were killed and 22 others wounded in a suicide attack which targeted an Afghan air force bus in eastern Kabul. In January, eight U.S. soldiers of the coalition were killed, including three Americans who lost their lives in an air crash incident in eastern Afghanistan. About 20 attacks of the improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the Taliban home-made bombs, took place across the country in January, with most victims being civilians. In one attack on Jan. 2, five civilians were killed and 18 others wounded in an IED blast in eastern Logar province. Analysts feared that the Taliban would continue their attacks across the country as Afghan army and police took the lead in combat operations and the country prepares for the presidential election slated for April 5 this year. The exact number of Afghan army and police casualties last month remained unknown. The attacks came while uncertainty remained in the country as U. S.-Afghanistan ties have been strained over Afghan President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign a bilateral security agreement allowing limited U.S. military presence after most American and NATO combat troops withdraw by the end of last year. Washington has urged outgoing President Karzai to sign the agreement before the end of last year with a warning that failure to meet the deadline would mean that U.S. forces would completely leave the country.