8 Taliban suicide bombers killed as vest accidentally explodes in their hideout

Eight Taliban suicide bombers were killed when one of their bombs blew up prematurely, triggering other devices as well, in Nahar Kohna village, in the north Afghanistan province of Kunduz. The ministry of interior said local Taliban commander Mullah Waliwas was preparing a series of suicide bombings in Kunduz city, one of the more populated areas of the province.

The plans went up in smoke when one of the vests blew up and caused a chain reaction among other bombs stored in the hideout, according to Khaama Press.

The premature blast was not an isolated incident. Last week it was reported that 10 militants in Ghazni province were killed by their own improvised explosive devices.

Taliban's control of Kunduz was at its strongest in 2015 when the group seized the province for a short period. During this time, it was reported that the insurgents were accused of various crimes including targeted killings, rape, kidnappings, use of civilians as shields and looting of public and private properties.

By October of last year, Afghan military forces intervened and retook control of large parts of the area including Kunduz city. On 25 April it was reported that a top Taliban leader and other junior militants had been arrested by security forces in the area.

"Qari Salim was arrested along with six accomplices during an overnight operation in the Khanabad district," Brigadier-General Mohammad Qasim Jangal Bagh told Anadolu Agency. He said Salim played a key role in the takeover of Kunduz last year and has also been responsible for the training of bombers and execution of multiple bomb blasts.