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A boy walks passed damaged vehicles at the site of a suicide attack in eastern Khost province, Afghanistan, on May 27, 2017. Nishanuddin KhanAP

(KABUL, Afghanistan) At least 18 people, mostly civilians, were killed Saturday when a suicide car bomber targeted a convoy of provincial security forces in eastern Afghanistan, an Interior Ministry official said.

Najib Danish, the ministry's deputy spokesman, said the target of the bomber was a group of guards providing security for U.S. forces in Khost province, but most of the victims in the attack were civilians.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a media statement. Taliban insurgents have increased their attacks against Afghan security forces since announcing their spring offensive last month.

The security forces were attacked near the province's main bus station, said Danish. "Six other civilians including two small children were wounded in the attack," he said.

The attack, which took place on a road between the bus station and the provincial football stadium, damaged or destroyed about a dozen shops and several vehicles.

The attack came on the first day of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.

Mubariz Zadran, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the casualty number could rise because some of the wounded were in critical condition.

Meanwhile, at least six civilians and 15 fighters from an Islamic State group affiliate were killed in eastern Nangarhar province, said Attullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor.

Separately, two police officers were shot and killed in Kandarhar by unknown gunmen late Friday, said Samim Khpolwak, spokesman for the provincial governor. He said another policeman was wounded in the shooting and an investigation was underway.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Suicide Car Bomb Kills at Least 18 in Afghanistan - TIME

The Pentagon has reportedly put forward an official request for Australia to send more troops to Afghanistan in a bid to boost security and salvage the countrys shaky government.

The Weekend Australian reported the US hopes Aussie troops will take up training and mentoring for Afghan forces, just as they did before the majority of our forces withdrew from the country three years ago.

The government is said to be considering the request as allied forces look at ways to stabilise the volatile state and drive out extremist organisations.

Australian troops are renowned in the Middle East for their training and mentoring programs.

However, there are concerns around the risk of green on blue attacks, where Afghan soldiers turn on their trainers and gun them down before fleeing or turning their weapons on themselves.

Seven Australian soldiers have been killed in green on blue attacks in Afghanistan.

During our 12-year mission, 40 Australian soldiers were killed and 261 were seriously wounded.

Labor is already showing signs it supports the request, with Shadow Defence Spokesman Richard Marle telling Sky News we cannot afford for Afghanistan to crumble.

The starting point here is that Afghanistan matters weve got a direct interest in that country, he said.

This is the place where going back in the late 90s it was a haven for terrorist training and as people well know a number of the Bali bombers received training in Afghanistan leading up to the bombing in 2002.

He said a recent trip to the country made it clear security was failing and extremists groups were making their mark on the region.

It is the case that al-Qaida is having a greater presence in that country. ISIS also is present there. The country is experiencing an insurgency.

We cant afford to see Afghanistan lost.

The government is yet to comment publicly on the request.

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Trump asks Australia to send more troops to Afghanistan: report - Starts at 60

The announcement of the Afghanistan cricket team vs Pakistan cricket team matches in Kabul, the first of which is scheduled for July or August, comes as Islamabad and Kabul face off over border skirmishes and terrorism.

Pakistan cricketers will play their first Twenty20 match in Afghanistans capital later this year, officials from the nations said on Saturday, as the neighbours put aside political tensions for two upcoming friendlies.

The announcement of the games, the first of which is scheduled for July or August, comes as Islamabad and Kabul face off over border skirmishes and terrorism.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which has long advocated supporting its war-ravaged neighbour to boost the game in the region, also promised to provide Afghanistans players with a ground to use as their base, in an apparent move to counter Indias growing influence.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said politics will not be allowed to interfere in cricket, referring to the recent strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

This visit by Afghan board head has helped in renewing the bond of friendship, Khan told a press conference in Lahore after a meeting with his Afghan counterpart Atif Mashal.

Khan said the first friendly would be held in Kabul, followed by a second fixture in Pakistan. An international series was also agreed between the two countries and slated for an unspecified later date.

Afghanistans Mashal said that while the boards were trying to keep sports -- especially cricket -- away from politics, he hoped the matches would have an impact.

I hope this tour should be used to positively influence the political arena and create a good atmosphere between the two friendly nations, he said.

Afghans learned to play cricket in refugee camps in Pakistan after they were forced to leave their homes in the wake of the Soviet invasion in 1979.

The sport struggled to get a foothold in Afghanistan under the hardline Islamist Taliban, but has become hugely popular in the country since the regime was toppled in a US-led invasion in 2001.

While Pakistan has supported the Afghan team by supplying equipment and arranging fixtures with the fledgling side, rival India has also been keen to lend its support.

Last year, Afghanistans national team shifted its base from Sharjah in United Arab Emirates to Noida, Delhi, while Indias former batsman Lalchand Rajput replaced Pakistans Inzamam-ul-Haq as their national team coach.

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Pakistan, Afghanistan to play debut T20 friendly in Kabul - Hindustan Times

Deutsche Welle

Afghanistan: talent show stars in danger Deutsche Welle The reality TV competition "Afghan Star" is Afghanistan's most popular television show. The first female finalist so far was a young woman from a Taliban stronghold. Her success has put her life in danger. Four Ways Forward in AfghanistanForeign Affairs (subscription) Deadly Taliban raid hits Kandahar's Shah Wali KotAljazeera.com More troops reportedly called to AfghanistanSky News Australia The Hill (blog) -The Australian all 124 news articles »

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Afghanistan: talent show stars in danger - Deutsche Welle

The number of weapons released by U.S. and allied aircraft in Afghanistan sharply spiked in April, hitting the highest point in nearly five years.

According to an airpower summary posted online this week by U.S. Air Forces Central Command, coalition aircraft released 460 weapons last month, more than double the 203 weapons released in March. It was the most in a single month since August 2012, when 589 weapons were released. The only months that came close in recent years were August and September 2014, when 437 and 441 weapons were released, respectively. But most other months saw fewer than 200 weapons released.

In a statement Friday, Navy Capt. Bill Salvin, the public affairs director for the Resolute Support mission, said that the renewed focus on eliminating an Islamic State subsidiary called ISIS-Khorasan is leading the coalition to conduct more offensive operations, which is contributing to the increase in weapons released. Also, Salvin said, this is the first spring fighting season since former President Obama expanded the military's authority to attack Taliban forces last June.

April was also the month when the Air Force dropped a massive GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb on a network of ISIS-Khorasan tunnels in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.

AFCENT spokeswoman Capt. Kathleen Atanasoff said Friday that the complex nature of the fight against ISIS, and the need to prevent civilian casualties, is why coalition aircraft have eased off slightly on its weapons released.

"In general, the coalition moves at the speed of our partner forces on the ground," Atanasoff said. "Right now, the preponderance of our effort is around Mosul [in Iraq] and Raqqah [in Syria], which are both very dense, difficult battlespaces in which to maneuver. Given that protection of civilians is crucial to the success of this campaign, the coalition is being very deliberate and careful in applying airpower effects in urban battlefields."

Syria, with the Russian military also operating in the area,is a particularly complicated situation, also leading the coalition to exercise caution.

"Following the [Tomahawk missile] strike in early April, we were extremely diligent and methodical in regards to where and when we flew in Syria to mitigate any strategic miscalculations," Atanasoff said.

However, these statistics do not account for all coalition weapons released. AFCENT has previously said that its statistics account for weapons released by aircraft under Combined Forces Air Component Commander, or CFACC, control, which includes aircraft from all U.S. military branches and coalition aircraft. But not all aircraft flying in the area fall under CFACC control.

Military Times also found that potentially thousands of airstrikes, such as strikes conducted over the years by attack helicopters and armed drones operated by the Army, were not included in AFCENT's statistics. This means that the number of weapons released so far this year is likely higher than the statistics show.

The same pattern held for Operation Inherent Resolve, though less dramatically. Sorties with weapons released increased from 3,705 in the first third of 2016 to 4,063 in the first four months of 2017, while the number of overall sorties over those periods dropped from 7,943 to 6,415.

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US, coalition strikes in Afghanistan spike, hit highest number in five years - AirForceTimes.com