A powerful
bomb hidden in a sewage tanker exploded in the morning rush hour in the center
of the Afghan capital on Wednesday, police said, killing at least 80 people
,
wounding hundreds and damaging embassy buildings.
The bomb,
one of the deadliest in Kabul and coming at the start of the holy month of
Ramadan, exploded close to the fortified entrance to the German embassy,
killing a security guard and wounding some staff, German Foreign Minister
Sigmar Gabriel said on Twitter.
“Such
attacks do not change our resolve in continuing to support the Afghan
government in the stabilization of the country," he said.
Basir
Mujahid, a spokesman for city police, said the explosives were hidden in a
sewage tanker but suggested that the German Embassy might not have been the
target of the blast which sent clouds of black smoke into the sky near the
presidential palace.
"There
are several other important compounds and offices near there too," he told
Reuters.
The blast,
which shattered windows and blew doors off their hinges in houses hundreds of
meters away, was unusually strong.
The NATO-led
Resolute Support (RS) mission in Kabul said Afghan security forces had
prevented the vehicle from entering the heavily protected Green Zone that
houses many foreign embassies as well as its headquarters, suggesting it may
not have reached its intended target.
A public
health official said at least 80 people had been killed and more than 350
wounded. The victims appear mainly to have been Afghan civilians.
The French,
Turkish and Chinese embassies were among those damaged, the three countries
said, adding there were no immediate signs of injuries among their diplomats.
The BBC said one of its drivers, an Afghan, was killed driving journalists to
work. Four journalists were wounded and treated in hospital.
Video shot
at the scene showed burning debris, crumbled walls and buildings and destroyed
cars, many with dead or injured people inside.
At the Wazir
Akbar Khan hospital a few blocks away, there were scenes of chaos as ambulances
brought in wounded and frantic relatives scanned casualty lists and questioned
hospital staff for news.
"It
felt like an earthquake," said 21-year-old Mohammad Hassan, describing the
moment the blast struck the bank where he was working. His head wound had been
bandaged but blood still soaked his white dress shirt.
TALIBAN DENY
RESPONSIBILITY
Another
lightly wounded victim, Nabib Ahmad, 27, said there was widespread destruction
and confusion.
"I
couldn't think clearly, there was a mess everywhere," he said.
Later,
frenzy broke out outside the hospital as ambulances and police trucks began
bringing in the bodies of those killed. Some bodies were burned or destroyed
beyond recognition.
India and
Pakistan condemned the blast.
"India
stands with Afghanistan in fighting all types of terrorism. Forces supporting
terrorism need to be defeated," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said
in a tweet. India said its embassy staff were safe.
The Taliban
denied responsibility and said they condemned attacks that have no legitimate
target and killed civilians. Islamic State, the other main militant group
active in Afghanistan, has carried out high profile attacks in Kabul, including
an attack on a military hospital in March that killed more than 50 people.
Wednesday's
attack provided another clear demonstration that Ramadan, which began at the
weekend, would provide little respite from the violence across Afghanistan.
The Taliban
have been stepping up their push to defeat the U.S.-backed government and
reimpose Islamic law after their 2001 ouster in a Washington-backed invasion.
Since most
international troops withdrew at the end of 2014, the Taliban have gained
ground and now control or contest about 40 percent of the country, according to
U.S. estimates, though President Ashraf Ghani's government holds all provincial
centers.
U.S.
President Donald Trump is due to decide soon on a recommendation to send 3,000
to 5,000 more troops to bolster the small NATO training force and U.S. counter-terrorism
mission now totaling just over 10,000.
The
commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, told a
congressional hearing this year that he needed several thousand more troops to
help Afghan forces break a "stalemate" with the Taliban.
Reuters
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