Muslims like to blow themselves up. Good riddance when that happens.

A bloody day in Afghanistan.

Dozens were killed in the north after Taliban insurgents overran an Afghan Army base and a police checkpoint, killing at least 39 soldiers and police officers.

Separately, in Kabul, a suicide bomber carried out an attack inside a classroom, leaving at least 48 dead.

The attacks cap a tense period, which began on Friday with a Taliban assault on Ghazni City, in the east. President Ashraf Ghani said the Taliban control of that area had been contained, but residents said the fighting continued. Here’s what’s at stake.

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KABUL, Afghanistan — The American-led invasion of Afghanistan routed Taliban extremists from power after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Nearly 17 years later, after tens of thousands of deaths, hundreds of billions of dollars spent and two White House administrations come and gone, those extremists are not only undefeated but seem as strong as ever.