"We remain confident the Afghan government and people, supported by their friends and partners, will defeat those behind these terrible acts,” Bass said. “The United States continues to stand with all Afghans in their pursuit of peace, security, and prosperity."
The statement was made after a double suicide attack hit Kabul earlier in the day, claiming the lives of 41 people and injuring 84 more: one took place near the Sada-i-Afghan (Afghan Voice) news agency and the other reportedly hit a cultural center. The Daesh terror group (banned in Russia), which attacked more than a dozen Shiite targets in Afghanistan in the past two years, including an October strike on a mosque that killed at least 57 worshipers, has claimed responsibility for the assault.
READ MORE: Double Suicide Attack in Kabul Kills Over 40, Injures 84 (PHOTO)
The US stance has been echoed by Resolute Support Spokesman US Army Lt. Colonel Kone Faulkner, who has called the attacks heinous acts.
"Resolute Support condemns the heinous attack on the Teyban Social and Cultural Center and the Afghan Voice Agency," Faulkner said. "Cultural advancement and freedom of speech will not be deterred. Our mutual enemies must know they will not win and the Afghan people will not be silenced."
The attacks shook Kabul a day after the US Marine Forces reported the death of a suspected Taliban leader, Qari Fida Mohammad, which, however, was claimed to have taken place much earlier.
READ MORE: US Claims F-16s Killed Top Taliban Leader
At the same time, the Afghan government is planning to endure a peace settlement in the country, preparing a roadmap for the peace talks with the Taliban. This position was voiced by the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai during a meeting of the International Contact Group for Afghanistan in Oslo earlier in December.
READ MORE: Afghanistan to Unveil Program of Peace Talks With Taliban Soon — Beijing
In August, US President Donald Trump announced his new strategy in Afghanistan after the 16-year-long war in the country. It has triggered the discontent of the Taliban terror group, vowing to continue jihad after it was announced. That strategy includes more soldiers on the ground, airstrikes on Taliban drug refining facilities and encouraging India to play more of a role to the detriment of Pakistan. However, this policy has done little to stem the tide of suicide bombings.
READ MORE: Pentagon Looking to Triple Size of Afghan Air Force by 2025
