VOA News
Ayaz Gul
April 19, 2016
ISLAMABAD—A group of Taliban insurgents staged a bomb and gun attack in the Afghan capital Kabul Tuesday morning, killing at least 30 people and wounding more than 327, according officials.
The assault targeted a building, which officials say houses a special unit of the Afghan security force working under the Afghan spy agency and responsible for protecting government officials.
The attack began around 9 a.m. local time with a suicide bomber detonating his explosives-laden vehicle at the entrance to the building.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Siddiqi told reporters “hundreds of kilograms of explosives” were packed in the vehicle. He said investigations are still underway to determine details about the number of attackers but admitted security lapses led to the deadly attack.
Officials said the ensuing intense gunfight between the assailants and Afghan security forces lasted for several hours and left all the attackers dead, with some blowing themselves up.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms” and said many people have been killed and wounded. He said the attack “clearly shows the enemy’s defeat in the face-to-face battle” with Afghan security forces.
Taliban claim responsibility
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the violence.
In a statement sent to reporters, Mujahid said the attack targeted the Afghan intelligence agency’s office, calling it “one of the brutal and inhuman organs” of the Kabul government.
He added the suicide bombing made way for other heavily armed Taliban suicide attackers to enter the building and engage personnel of the intelligence agency in a gunfight.
Mujahid claimed the assault inflicted “heavy casualties on the enemy and the massive car bombing destroyed a portion of the building.”
The insurgent group often issues inflated details of attacks against government and military targets.
Blast near US embassy complex
Television footage showed a thick plume of black smoke rising from the area immediately after the powerful blast, which took place not far from the presidential palace and the sprawling U.S. embassy complex in Kabul.
The NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan “strongly condemned” the assault.
“Today’s attack shows the insurgents are unable to meet Afghan forces on the battlefield and must resort to these terrorist attacks,” U.S. Army General John Nicholson, Resolute Support commander.
The suicide attack comes as Taliban insurgents have intensified battlefield attacks in more than 15 Afghan provinces as part of their annual spring offensive.
The United Nations condemned the attack, saying it is verifying facts on numbers of civilian casualties.
“Taliban use of huge bomb in a densely populated area shows total lack of respect for civilian live,” said the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
In a report released Sunday, UNAMA said that the Afghan conflict caused about 2,000 civilian casualties in the first three months of this year, including 600 dead.
Neighboring Pakistan, where Afghan officials said Taliban leaders are sheltering, also condemned the bloodshed.
“We extend our heartfelt sympathies and condolences to those who have lost their loved ones and pray for an early recovery of the injured,” a foreign ministry statement issued in Islamabad said, and reiterated that the government “condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestation.”
Other Security News
- Abdullah condemns Kabul attack, urge political elites to prioritize national interests
- Afghan Air Force destroy bomb making factory of Taliban in Kandahar
- Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility for attack on gov’t office
- Afghan army launches first surveillance drones