German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said deportations of failed asylum seekers to Afghanistan would continue, despite this week’s massive truck bombing in Kabul.

Merkel made the comments on June 1, a day after a bomb blast killed at least 90 people and wounded more than 400 in Kabul’s diplomatic quarter. Following the attack, Germany canceled a plane that was to take deportees to Kabul.

The chancellor said Berlin will continue to closely evaluate the security situation in Afghanistan before deporting rejected asylum seekers back there.

The Kabul attack represents a “chance to once again look carefully and to analyze the security situation province by province,” Merkel said.

She said each case would be examined closely, and that the focus would be on the deportation of criminal Afghans whose asylum requests had been declined.

In the past, most Afghans whose asylum bids were rejected were allowed to remain in Germany due to the security threat in Afghanistan. But last year, Berlin decided to designate parts of the country safe for return.

Based on reporting by dpa and AP

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.</s>Kabul: The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS), the primary intelligence agency in Afghanistan, has blamed the Taliban-linked Haqqani network for the deadly truck bombing in Kabul which killed 90 people dead.

Sediq Sediqqi, spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, tweeted this on Thursday morning, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Haqqani network of militants, mainly operating in eastern provinces and capital Kabul, has been responsible for many high-profile attacks on security forces.

Nearly 90 people were killed and and over 460 injured when a truck packed with explosives exploded in the diplomatic area of Kabul on Wednesday morning. Some injured people were still in critical condition.

The attack was claimed by the Islamic State.</s>At least 90 people were killed and about 461 wounded, when a massive truck bomb ripped through Kabul's diplomatic quarter during rush hour, in the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since 2001.

Bloodied corpses littered the scene and a huge cloud of smoke rose from the highly-fortified area which houses foreign embassies, after the explosion tore a massive crater in the ground and blew out windows several miles away.

No group has so far claimed the powerful blast, which officials said was caused by 1,500 kilogrammes of explosives hidden inside a sewage tanker, in what appeared to be a major intelligence failure.

Rescue workers were digging bodies from the site hours after the explosion, many of them disfigured and charred, as anguished residents searched for missing relatives.

"They were going to their work like any other day and now they are lost," a young Afghan man said of his missing uncle and cousins, sobbing quietly outside Kabul's Emergency hospital.

"I have searched in three hospitals and haven't found them."

The attack, just days into the holy fasting month of Ramadan, underscores spiraling insecurity in Afghanistan, where the NATO-backed military, beset by soaring casualties and desertions, is struggling to beat back insurgents.

"In this powerful attack 90 people have been killed and 461 wounded, including many women and children," said the government's media centre, with health officials warning the toll could climb further.

Eleven American citizens working as contractors in Kabul were among the wounded, a senior US official told AFP.

President Ashraf Ghani slammed the bombing, the deadliest single attack in Kabul since the Taliban were toppled from power in a 2001 US-led invasion, as a "war crime".

Afghanistan's intelligence agency blamed the Taliban- allied Haqqani Network for the attack.

The Taliban -- currently in the midst of their annual "spring offensive" -- denied they were involved, while strongly condemning the blast. The insurgent group rarely claims responsibility for attacks that kill large numbers of civilians.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for several recent bombings in the Afghan capital, including a powerful blast targeting a NATO convoy that killed eight people earlier this month.

The sound of the bomb, which went off near Kabul's busy Zanbaq Square, reverberated across the Afghan capital, with residents comparing it to an earthquake. Most victims appear to be civilians.

"The vigilance and courage of Afghan security forces prevented the VBIED (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) from gaining entry to the Green Zone, but the explosion caused civilian casualties," NATO said in a statement.

The BBC said its Afghan driver Mohammed Nazir was killed and four of its journalists wounded. Local TV channel Tolo TV also tweeted that a staff member, Aziz Navin, was killed.

The explosion damaged several embassies in the area, which houses diplomatic and government buildings and is a maze of concrete blast walls, vehicle barriers and armed security guards.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the "despicable" attack killed an Afghan guard from the German embassy, and added that some employees had been injured, though he did not give further details.

He said the bomb had gone off "in the immediate vicinity" of the German embassy.

France, India, Turkey, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Bulgaria similarly reported damage to their embassies, including shattered windows, as the blast drew an avalanche of international condemnation.

"That this attack would occur during the holy month of Ramadan underscores the senseless and barbaric nature of this attack," a White House spokesman said.

Amnesty International said the bombing shows that the conflict in Afghanistan is "dangerously widening in a way that should alarm the international community".

Germany was forced to postpone a scheduled deportation flight of rejected Afghan asylum-seekers in the wake of the attack. The European nation has drawn criticism for sending back Afghans to an increasingly dangerous country.

Today's blast was the latest in a string of attacks in Kabul. The province surrounding the capital had the highest number of casualties in the country in the first three months of 2017 due to multiple attacks in the city, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.

Afghan troops are backed by US and NATO forces, and the White House is considering sending thousands more soldiers to break the deadlock in the battle against the Taliban.

US troops in Afghanistan number about 8,400 now, and there are another 5,000 from NATO allies. They mainly serve in an advisory capacity -- a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago.</s>At least 90 people were killed and hundreds wounded Wednesday when a massive truck bomb ripped through Kabul’s diplomatic quarter during rush hour, in the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since 2001.

Bloodied corpses littered the scene and a huge cloud of smoke rose from the highly-fortified area which houses foreign embassies, after the explosion tore a massive crater in the ground and blew out windows several miles away.

No group has so far claimed the powerful blast, which officials said was caused by 1,500 kilograms (1.6 US tons) of explosives hidden inside a sewage tanker, in what appeared to be a major intelligence failure.

Rescue workers were digging bodies from the site hours after the explosion, many of them disfigured and charred, as anguished residents searched for missing relatives.

“They were going to their work like any other day and now they are lost,” a young Afghan man said of his missing uncle and cousins, sobbing quietly outside Kabul’s Emergency hospital.

“I have searched in three hospitals and haven’t found them.”

The attack, just days into the holy fasting month of Ramadan, underscores spiralling insecurity in Afghanistan, where the NATO-backed military, beset by soaring casualties and desertions, is struggling to beat back insurgents.

“In this powerful attack 90 people have been killed and 400 wounded, including many women and children,” said the government’s media centre, with health officials warning the toll could climb further.

Eleven American citizens working as contractors in Kabul were among the wounded, a senior US official told AFP.

 President Ashraf Ghani slammed the bombing, the deadliest single attack in Kabul since the Taliban were toppled from power in a 2001 US-led invasion, as a “war crime”.

Afghanistan’s intelligence agency blamed the Taliban-allied Haqqani Network for the attack. The Taliban — currently in the midst of their annual “spring offensive” — denied they were involved, while strongly condemning the blast. The insurgent group rarely claims responsibility for attacks that kill large numbers of civilians.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for several recent bombings in the Afghan capital, including a powerful blast targeting a NATO convoy that killed eight people earlier this month.

– Embassies damaged –

 The sound of the bomb, which went off near Kabul’s busy Zanbaq Square, reverberated across the Afghan capital, with residents comparing it to an earthquake. Most victims appear to be civilians.

“The vigilance and courage of Afghan security forces prevented the VBIED (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) from gaining entry to the Green Zone, but the explosion caused civilian casualties,” NATO said in a statement.

The BBC said its Afghan driver Mohammed Nazir was killed and four of its journalists wounded. Local TV channel Tolo TV also tweeted that a staff member, Aziz Navin, was killed.

The explosion damaged several embassies in the area, which houses diplomatic and government buildings and is a maze of concrete blast walls, vehicle barriers and armed security guards.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the “despicable” attack killed an Afghan guard from the German embassy, and added that some employees had been injured, though he did not give further details.

He said the bomb had gone off “in the immediate vicinity” of the German embassy.

France, India, Turkey, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Bulgaria similarly reported damage to their embassies, including shattered windows, as the blast drew an avalanche of international condemnation.

“That this attack would occur during the holy month of Ramadan underscores the senseless and barbaric nature of this attack,” a White House spokesman said.

Amnesty International said the bombing shows that the conflict in Afghanistan is “dangerously widening in a way that should alarm the international community”.

Germany was forced to postpone a scheduled deportation flight of rejected Afghan asylum-seekers in the wake of the attack. The European nation has drawn criticism for sending back Afghans to an increasingly dangerous country.

Wednesday’s blast was the latest in a string of attacks in Kabul. The province surrounding the capital had the highest number of casualties in the country in the first three months of 2017 due to multiple attacks in the city, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.

Afghan troops are backed by US and NATO forces, and the White House is considering sending thousands more soldiers to break the deadlock in the battle against the Taliban.

US troops in Afghanistan number about 8,400 now, and there are another 5,000 from NATO allies. They mainly serve in an advisory capacity — a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago.

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Also, Like us on facebook</s>KABUL: President Donald Trump has condemned the “barbaric” truck-bombing in Kabul in a phone call with his Afghan counterpart, as global outrage swells over the massive blast that ripped through the diplomatic quarter, killing at least 90 and injuring hundreds.

No group has so far claimed the attack, launched from a sewage tanker packed with explosives, which tore a massive crater in the ground and blew out windows across the heavily fortified district.

Anguished residents were preparing to bury their loved ones Thursday, as authorities continued to clear the mangled wreckage of cars and debris from around the blast site.

Trump called President Ashraf Ghani to convey his condolences, saying the timing of the attack during the holy month of Ramadan underscores “the barbaric nature of the terrorists who are enemies of all civilised peoples.”

“He also commended Afghan security forces for their steadfast efforts to defend the Afghan people from enemies who would seek to deny them the security and prosperity they so richly deserve,” the White House said.

The attack underscores spiralling insecurity in Afghanistan where the NATO-backed military, beset by soaring casualties and desertions, is struggling to beat back insurgents.

Ghani slammed the bombing, the deadliest single attack in Kabul since the Taliban were toppled from power in a 2001 US-led invasion, as a “war crime.”

The explosion damaged several embassies in the area, which houses diplomatic and government buildings and is a maze of concrete blast walls, vehicle barriers and armed security guards.

At least 11 Afghan guards working for the US embassy were among those killed and 11 American citizens working as contractors in Kabul were among the wounded, US officials said

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the “despicable” attack had happened “in the immediate vicinity” of the German embassy and that an Afghan guard had also been killed.

France, India, Turkey, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Bulgaria also reported damage to their missions, including shattered windows, as the blast drew an avalanche of international condemnation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his “abhorrence” at the strike which he said underlined the urgency of the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

The UN Security Council condemned the “cowardly terrorist attack” that took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The members of the council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations “constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.” They underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of acts of terrorism to justice.

They also urged all nations, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the government of Afghanistan in its probe.

The Security Council said nations should combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

The lights at the Eiffel Tower were switched off on Wednesday night to honor the scores of victims. The monument’s lights had already been turned off on Tuesday after suicide blasts in Baghdad killed at least 42.

‘Now they are lost’

 The sound of the bomb, which went off near Kabul’s busy Zanbaq Square, reverberated across the Afghan capital, with residents comparing it to an earthquake. Most victims appear to be civilians.

“They were going to their work like any other day and now they are lost,” a young Afghan man said of his missing uncle and cousins, sobbing quietly outside Kabul’s Emergency hospital.

“I have searched in three hospitals and haven’t found them.”

Afghanistan’s intelligence agency blamed the Taliban-allied Haqqani Network for the attack.

The Taliban—currently in the midst of their annual “spring offensive”—denied they were involved, while strongly condemning the blast. The insurgent group rarely claims responsibility for attacks that kill large numbers of civilians.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for several recent bombings in the Afghan capital, including a powerful blast targeting a NATO convoy that killed eight people earlier this month.

Amnesty International said the bombing shows that the conflict in Afghanistan is “dangerously widening in a way that should alarm the international community”.

Wednesday’s blast was the latest in a string of attacks in Kabul. The province surrounding the capital had the highest number of casualties in the country in the first three months of 2017 due to multiple attacks in the city, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.

Afghan troops are backed by US and NATO forces, and the White House is considering sending thousands more soldiers to break the deadlock in the battle against the Taliban.

US troops in Afghanistan number about 8,400 now, and there are another 5,000 from NATO allies. They mainly serve in an advisory capacity—a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago.</s>Kabul was reeling Thursday from its deadliest attack since 2001, with anguished residents burying their dead as authorities cleared away mangled wreckage and public anger mounted over the government’s failure to protect citizens in the heart of the capital.

No group has so far claimed Wednesday’s attack, launched from a sewage tanker packed with explosives, which tore a massive crater in the ground and killed at least 90 people, mainly civilians, while wounding hundreds.

Angry citizens demanded answers from the government over the perceived intelligence failure leading to the assault, which underscores spiralling insecurity in Afghanistan.

“For how long will we have to tolerate this bloodshed in our country?” a sobbing resident asked on local Tolo News.

“I have lost my brother in the blast and the government is constantly failing to provide us with security.”

The brazen attack during the holy month of Ramadan highlighted the ability of militants to strike even in the capital’s most secure district, home to the presidential palace and foreign embassies that are enveloped in a maze of concrete blast walls.

Authorities swept off debris and shards of glass littered across the streets, and cleared away the charred carcasses of blown-up vehicles, as shocked residents prepared for funeral ceremonies.

With more than 400 people wounded, the injured spilled over into hospital hallways as huge crowds gathered outside waiting for news of their loved ones or searching for still missing relatives.

Health officials warned some victims may never be identified as their bodies were torn into pieces or burned beyond recognition.

Global outrage swelled over the massive blast, the deadliest single attack in Kabul since the Taliban were toppled from power in a 2001 US-led invasion.

US President Donald Trump told his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani in a phone call that the timing of the attack during Ramadan underscores “the barbaric nature of the terrorists who are enemies of all civilised peoples”.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his “abhorrence” at the strike.

The lights at the Eiffel Tower were switched off on Wednesday night to honour the scores of victims. The monument’s lights had already been turned off on Tuesday after suicide blasts in Baghdad killed at least 42.

– Kabul deadly for civilians –

 Afghanistan’s intelligence agency has blamed the Taliban-allied Haqqani Network for Wednesday’s attack.

The Taliban — currently in the midst of their annual “spring offensive” — denied they were involved. The insurgent group rarely claims responsibility for attacks that kill large numbers of civilians.

The Islamic State group has had no such compunctions, claiming responsibility for several deadly bombings in the Afghan capital, but so far has not issued a claim in Wednesday’s blast.

The explosion, which Kabul residents compared to an earthquake, damaged several embassies in the area, which houses diplomatic and government buildings and is replete with check points and armed security guards.

At least 11 Afghan guards working for the US embassy were among those killed and 11 American citizens working as contractors in Kabul were among the wounded, US officials have said.

Germany said an Afghan guard had been killed at its embassy, which was “in the immediate vicinity” of the attack, while several other countries also reported damage to their missions.

Frequent mass casualty attacks made the city the deadliest place in Afghanistan for civilians in the first quarter of 2017, according to the United Nations.

Afghan troops backed by US and NATO forces have been struggling t beat back the insurgents, and the White House is considering sending thousands more soldiers to break the deadlock in the battle against the Taliban.

US troops in Afghanistan number about 8,400 now, and there are another 5,000 from NATO allies. They mainly serve in an advisory capacity — a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago.

This post was syndicated from Nigeria News, Headlines and Opinions – The Guardian Nigeria Newspaper. Click here to read the full text on the original website.

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Also, Like us on facebook</s>Blast near the German embassy leaves more than 460 injured, Afghan interior ministry says

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A massive explosion in a highly secure diplomatic area of Kabul has killed at least 90 people and wounded more than 461, Afghan officials have said.

The attack is the deadliest in the Afghan capital since an Isis suicide bomber killed nearly 100 people at a protest last summer, and one of the largest to hit Kabul since the 2001 intervention. Most of the casualties are expected to be civilians.

The huge blast of a bomb hidden in a sewage tanker occurred close to the German embassy in the Wazir Akbar Khan area of the capital on Wednesday morning, sending clouds of black smoke spiralling into the sky near the presidential palace and foreign embassies.

It took place at the peak of Kabul’s rush hour when the streets were packed with commuters and just days into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses described dozens of cars choking the roads as wounded survivors and panicked schoolchildren sought safety, with people struggling to get through security checkpoints to search for loved ones.

No group has claimed responsibility but both the Taliban and Isis have staged large-scale attacks in the city. The Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, condemned the attack. “The terrorists, even in the holy month of Ramadan, the month of goodness, blessing and prayer, are not stopping the killing of our innocent people,” he said in a statement.

On Wednesday evening, the country’s intelligence agency, the NDS, accused the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network, with Pakistani support, of being behind the attack.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Afghan men provide assistance to the wounded at the site of the car bomb attack in Kabul. Photograph: Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images

Basir Mujahid, a spokesman for Kabul police, said the bomb had struck close to the fortified entrance to the German embassy.

“It was a car bomb near the German embassy, but there are several other important compounds and offices near there too. It is hard to say what the exact target is,” Mujahid said.

The explosion site is on the road leading to the American embassy as well as the US and Nato military headquarters. It was unclear whether the attacker intended to target the German embassy or was perhaps stopped on the way to compounds further ahead, and detonated prematurely.



The German foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel, said an Afghan security guard was killed in the blast and embassy employees wounded. He said all embassy workers were now safe and offered his condolences to the family of the slain guard.

The US Department of State said 11 American contractors working for the US embassy were injured. Eleven members of the Afghan national police and eight Afghan soldiers were among the dead.

The BBC said in a statement that one of its Afghan drivers, Mohammed Nazir, who was in his late 30s and had a young family, was killed in the blast. Four journalists were wounded and treated in hospital. Their injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

A French minister, Marielle de Sarnez, said its embassy had been damaged but it was not known if there were any French victims.

The attack was the deadliest to have apparently targeted government or diplomatic buildings in Kabul since a Taliban suicide bomber and gunman killed more than 60 in an attack on intelligence headquarters in April 2016.

Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry, said the blast was so large that more than 30 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Security forces inspect the site of the attack. Photograph: Rahmat Gul/AP

While embassies and government buildings in the area are located behind fortified security walls, the road where the bomb detonated is open to the public. Connecting two main traffic circles, the strip is always busy with civilian pedestrians and drivers, particularly in the morning.

Houses hundreds of metres away from the explosion were damaged, with windows and doors blown off their hinges. Reports from journalists inside Kabul said the explosion shook their houses and shattered windows.

Jessica Donati (@jessdonati) Massive explosion just shattered all the windows and glass in our bureau #Kabul

Sune Engel Rasmussen (@SuneEngel) Explosion in Kabul 5 mins ago. Shook my house, but ppl across city say it sounded close. Could be big.

Images posted on social media showed a huge plume of smoke in the sky.

Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) #BREAKING: Massive explosion on the gate of the German mission in #Kabul. Damage caused to properties of Indian Embassy in #Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/qZynPGZSNb

Shortly after the explosion, police had closed off the bomb site over a radius of a few hundred metres. Outside the police barrier, close to the Emergency hospital, bystanders assessed the damage.

Which insurgent groups are operating in Afghanistan? The two main violent groups in Afghanistan are the Taliban and a local affiliate of Islamic State (Isis).

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan for five years until 2001, when they were ousted by a US-led invasion for sheltering Osama bin Laden as he planned the 9/11 attacks. The Taliban denies directly targeting civilians, but regularly attacks non-combatants including journalists and legal workers. Hundreds of people have also been killed in violence triggered by the group. Isis only emerged in Afghanistan about three years ago. They have fewer fighters and a geographically smaller base, but seem well resourced and even more violent than the Taliban, who they periodically fight.

Entezar, a barber, said he was inside his shop when the explosion happened. “The whole window blew out,” he said, pointing to his facade.

The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack, although it came as the group is stepping up its annual “spring offensive”.



Self-declared Isis affiliates have also claimed responsibility for several recent bombings in the Afghan capital, including a powerful blast targeting an armoured Nato convoy that killed at least eight people and wounded 28 on 3 May.

The US secretary of defence, James Mattis, has warned of “another tough year” for both foreign troops and local forces in Afghanistan, where more than a third of the country is outside of government control.



The blast was the latest in a long line of attacks in the Afghan capital. Kabul province had the highest number of casualties in the first three months of 2017 due to multiple attacks in the city, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.</s>Afghanistan has blamed Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the banned terror group - the Haqqani network - for Wednesday's deadly bomb blast in Kabul's diplomatic area which killed at least 90 people and injured 300 others.

Talking exclusively to India Today, Afghanistan Interior Ministry spokesperson Sediq Siddiqui said role of Pakistan's ISI has been established in Kabul explosion.

"We have nailed Pakistan's ISI role (in Kabul blast). Afghanistan expects Pakistan to crack down on Haqqani network. The attack will surely impact ties between the two (Afghanistan, Pakistan) countries," Siddiqui told India Today.

He added that Kabul expects Islamabad to act against the Haqqani network while expressing fears of more such attacks in the country.

India and Pakistan both are victims of Pakistan sponsored terror, Siddiqui added.

The Haqqani Network is an Afghan insurgent terror outfit based in Pakistan's Waziristan and has carried out many high-profile attacks on US forces, high ranking Afghan officials and foreigners in Afghanistan. The network has ties with Taliban and Al Qaeda and the US considers it a major threat to Afghanistan's stability.

Kabul's high-security diplomatic zone was rocked by a powerful blast on Wednesday morning. The explosion occurred near the German embassy at one of the entrances to Kabul's unofficial Green Zone.

While the sewage tanker carrying the bomb was stopped from entering the zone, it was unclear how such a large quantity of explosives could get through the ring of checkpoints set up around Kabul to protect the capital.

A huge crater ripped into the ground at the site of the blast and shattered windows in houses more than a kilometre away were testament to the power of the explosion, which was set off by a bomb concealed in the tanker.

In scale, it was one of the worst such attacks since the US-led campaign to oust the Taliban in 2001 but in kind, it was only the latest in a grim series that has killed thousands of civilians over the years.

Kabul bomb blast death toll hits 80, over 350 others injured in suicide attack near Indian embassy

Islamic State claims responsibility for attack on NATO convoy in Kabul

Pakistan-based terrorist groups planning to attack India and Afghanistan: US

WATCH: Huge blast near Indian embassy in Kabul, many feared killed</s>Bodies littered the scene and a towering plume of smoke rose from the highly-fortified area, which houses foreign embassies, after the powerful blast in the morning rush hour blew out the windows of missions and residences.

A Western diplomatic source told AFP the vehicle was a water tanker stuffed with more than 1,500 kilogrammes of explosives and left a seven-metre deep crater at the scene.

Rescue workers were digging bodies from the rubble hours after the explosion. Dozens of damaged cars choked the roads as wounded survivors and panicked schoolgirls sought safety. Men and women struggled to get through security checkpoints to search for loved ones.

AAP

It was not immediately clear what the target was. But the attack underscores spiralling insecurity in Afghanistan, where a military beset by soaring casualties and desertions is struggling to beat back insurgents. Over a third of the country is outside government control.

"Unfortunately the toll has reached 80 martyred (killed) and over 300 wounded, including many women and children," said health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh, adding the figures would continue to climb as more bodies are pulled from the debris.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, slammed by President Ashraf Ghani as a "war crime". The Taliban -- currently in the midst of their annual "spring offensive" -- tweeted that they were not involved and "strongly condemn" the blast.

The insurgent group rarely claims responsibility for attacks that kill large numbers of civilians.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for several recent bombings in the Afghan capital, including a powerful blast targeting a NATO convoy that killed eight people earlier this month.

NATO said the bomb was a VBIED, or vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, which detonated near Kabul's Zanbaq Square at 8.22am.

"The vigilance and courage of Afghan security forces prevented the VBIED from gaining entry to the Green Zone, but the explosion caused civilian casualties," the alliance's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.

AAP

Embassies damaged

The explosion damaged a number of embassies in the area, which houses diplomatic and government buildings and is a maze of concrete blast walls, vehicle barriers and armed security guards.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the "despicable" attack killed an Afghan guard from the German embassy, and added that some employees had been injured, though he did not give further details.

He said the bomb had detonated "in the immediate vicinity" of the German embassy.

The BBC said its Afghan driver Mohammed Nazir was killed and four of their journalists wounded. Local TV channel Tolo TV also tweeted that its staff member Aziz Navin was killed.

Manpreet Vohra, India's envoy to Afghanistan, told media the bomb went off around 100 metres from India's embassy. All staff were safe, he said, though the blast left "considerable damage", including shattered windows.

The explosion also blew in windows at the Japanese embassy, leaving two staffers with mild injuries, a foreign ministry official in Tokyo told AFP.

France, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Bulgaria similarly reported damage to their embassies, while India and Pakistan joined in international condemnation of the blast.

The NATO statement, which praised the "courage" of Afghan forces, slammed the attack as "barbaric".

"It ... highlights the hypocrisy of the enemy who claim that they only target Afghan Security Forces and Foreign forces, yet continue to cause death and suffering amongst innocent Afghans," it said.

AAP

US ambassador to Afghanistan Hugo Llorens issued a scathing statement condemning the "complete disregard for human life", saying those behind the attack deserved our "utter scorn".

Amnesty International warned that it "shows that the conflict in Afghanistan is not winding down but dangerously widening, in a way that should alarm the international community".

Wednesday's blast was the latest in a long line of attacks in Kabul. The province surrounding the capital had the highest number of casualties in the country in the first three months of 2017 due to multiple attacks in the city, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.

Pentagon chief Jim Mattis has warned of "another tough year" for both foreign troops and local forces in Afghanistan.

Afghan troops are backed by US and NATO forces, and the Pentagon has reportedly asked the White House to send thousands more soldiers to break the deadlock in the battle against the Taliban.

US troops in Afghanistan number about 8,400 now, and there are another 5,000 from NATO allies. They mainly serve in an advisory capacity -- a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago.</s>The Latest on the massive suicide truck bombing that hit the Afghan capital, Kabul, during morning rush hour (all times local):

 

12:45 a.m.

 

The U.N. Security Council and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are strongly condemning the "terrorist attack" in Kabul and demanding that those responsible be brought to justice.

 

The council called it a "heinous and cowardly" attack and reaffirmed "that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security."

 

The U.N.'s most powerful body urged all countries to cooperate with the Afghan government in identifying and prosecuting the perpetrators.

 

Guterres' spokesman spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the secretary-general "expressed his abhorrence at this act and underlined the need to reinforce the fight against terrorism and violent extremism."

 

___

 

11:35 p.m.

 

President Donald Trump has spoken with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani about the truck bomb that killed nearly 100 people in Kabul.

 

Trump's spokesman says the United States "strongly condemns" the attack and is aware that multiple Americans were wounded.

 

A suicide attacker drive into Kabul's heavily guarded diplomatic quarter during Wednesday's morning rush hour.

 

It was one of the worst attacks since the drawdown of foreign forces from Afghanistan in 2014.

 

___

 

9:30 p.m.

 

A U.S. State Department official says nine Afghan guards at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul have been killed in a suicide truck bomb attack that rocked the diplomatic quarter in Afghan capital.

 

Also, 11 American contractors have been wounded, and one Afghan guard is missing.

 

The official wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

 

-AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington.

 

___

 

7:15 p.m.

 

The Afghan government's media center has raised the death toll from the massive suicide truck bombing in Kabul to 90 killed.

 

The center also says that 400 people are now reported to have been wounded in the attack on Wednesday morning. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing that hit in a highly secure diplomatic area of the Afghan capital.

 

The media center quoted a statement from the Afghan Ulema Council, the country's top religious body that includes Muslim clerics, scholars and men of authority in religion and law, as giving the new casualty tolls.

 

The council strongly condemned the attack, saying that "carrying out such attacks in the holy month of Ramadan is completely against humanity."

 

___

 

6:30 p.m.

 

Germany's Interior Ministry says deportation of Afghans whose asylum requests have been rejected has been temporarily suspended in the wake of an attack in Kabul that seriously damaged the German Embassy.

 

A flight to Kabul planned for Wednesday has been put off and spokesman Johannes Dimroth says other deportations will be postponed for the time being.

 

Germany considers areas of Afghanistan, including Kabul, safe and has been regularly deporting Afghans whose asylum requests have been rejected, particularly those with criminal records.

 

Dimroth says the decision to postpone deportations was not due to a reassessment of the danger, but rather because the embassy in Kabul is not in a position to deal with the return of the deportees after being damaged in the attack.

 

He says Germany's position that deportations, particularly of convicted criminals, are necessary.

 

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6:15 p.m.

 

France's foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says the French Embassy in Kabul suffered material damage in the car bombing that killed scores of people in the Afghan capital's diplomatic area earlier in the day.

 

Le Drian said in a statement Wednesday that French authorities have not had information on potential French casualties "at this stage" but that they're still checking.

 

The minister expressed his "indignation" at the "terrorist attack" in a country that "is paying a heavy toll on terrorism again." He offered his condolences to "families of the many victims" in the massive bombing.

 

Le Drian stressed that "France stands by Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism."

 

The attack killed 80 people near Zambaq Square, close to the area housing several diplomatic and government facilities.

 

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5:50 p.m.

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is condemning the massive suicide truck bombing in Kabul that killed 80 and wounded hundreds, saying that "terrorism has no borders."

 

The chancellor said terrorism "targets all of us - whether in Manchester or Berlin, Paris, Istanbul, St. Petersburg or today in Kabul."

 

She spoke in the southern German city of Nuremberg just hours after the explosion near the German Embassy in Kabul on Wednesday. A German diplomat was slightly injured, an Afghan embassy employee suffered serious injuries and an Afghan guard died in the blast.

 

Merkel said that "today we're united in shock and sadness across all borders."

 

She expressed her sympathy for the victims and their families and vowed that, "we will lead the fight against terrorism and we will win it."

 

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3:50 p.m.

 

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says Turkey will evacuate some of its embassy staff from Kabul after the building was damaged in the explosion that hit the Afghan capital.

 

Cavusoglu called for an investigation into how the suicide car bomb was able to reach Kabul's heavily protected diplomatic district where it detonated at a busy intersection on Wednesday. Cavusoglu added that no one among the Turkish Embassy personnel was hurt in the explosion. He said the ambassador was in Turkey at the time of the attack.

 

The International Federation of Journalists and its affiliate, the Afghan Independent Journalists Association, also condemned the brutal attack in which at least two media staffers were killed and four others were wounded.

 

The statement says a "TOLO TV's staff member Aziz Navin was killed along with BBC Kabul's staff driver Nazeer Ahamad" and that three other BBC Kabul staff and a reporter for TV1, a private Afghan channel, were wounded. The office of TV1 is located close to the site of the explosion.

 

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3:30 p.m.

 

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the NATO mission have condemned the massive bombing that killed 80 people near the German Embassy in the Afghan capital earlier in the day.

 

America's top diplomat to Kabul, Special Chargé d'Affaires Hugo Llorens said Wednesday's "horrific and shameful attack demonstrates these terrorists' complete disregard for human life and their nihilistic opposition to the dream of a peaceful future for Afghanistan."

 

Llorens offered his "deepest condolences to the families of all those killed and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured."

 

The Kabul headquarters of NATO's mission to Afghanistan also denounced the car bombing which the alliance said went off near Zambaq Square, close to the area housing several diplomatic and government facilities. The U.S. Embassy is not located there but in another part of the city, about a kilometer (half mile) away.

 

The NATO statement praised "the courage of Afghan Security Forces, especially the police and first responders. Attacks such as these only serve to strengthen our commitment to our Afghan partners as they seek a peaceful, stable future for their country."

 

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2:50 p.m.

 

Japan's Foreign Ministry says two of its embassy employees, both Japanese nationals, were slightly injured in the bombing in Kabul earlier in the day.

 

The ministry says the injured were inside the embassy complex, located near the site of Wednesday's bombing. It says embassy officials also reported some minor damage to the building, such as broken windows but that there are no other reports of injuries or damage involving Japanese nationals in Kabul.

 

Turkey's Foreign Ministry says Turkish Embassy buildings were damaged in the explosion but that no embassy employees were harmed The ministry condemned the attack and said Turkey would continue to stand by Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism.

 

India reported "some damage to windows" at the Indian Embassy building, located next to the German, Iranian and British embassies.

 

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2:40 p.m.

 

The BBC says a driver for the broadcaster was killed and four of its journalists were injured in the massive car bombing in Kabul.

 

BBC World Service director Francesca Unsworth says Mohammed Nazir, who had worked for the BBC Afghan Service for four years, was killed as he was driving colleagues to work.

 

She says the four journalists have been treated at a hospital, and their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

 

Unsworth says the attack is "a devastating loss to the BBC and to Mohammed Nazir's friends and family.

 

Afghan officials say 80 people died and 350 were wounded in the attack.

 

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2:10 p.m.

 

China's foreign ministry says its embassy building in Kabul has been partly damaged in an explosion that rocked the Afghan capital's heavily guarded diplomatic district earlier in the day.

 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a regularly scheduled media briefing on Wednesday that all embassy staff members were "safe and sound" and that there had been no reports of injured Chinese citizens.

 

Afghan officials have said a suicide car bombing killed 80 and wounded as many as 350.

 

Hua said China strongly condemned the attack and offered its condolences to the victims and their families. She told reporters that the Chinese government will be assessing the situation and considering additional safety measures.

 

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2 p.m.

 

The Afghan Taliban are denying any involvement in the massive suicide attack that struck the capital, Kabul, earlier in the day.

 

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban, says that Wednesday's explosion had "nothing to do with the Mujahedeen of Islamic Emirate," as the Taliban call themselves.

 

Mujahid says the Taliban were not involved and that whoever "carried out this attack and for what purpose, that will become clear at a later stage." His statement added that the Taliban condemn "every explosion and attack carried out against civilians, or in which civilians are harmed."

 

Even though the Taliban claim they are only waging war against the Kabul government and foreign forces in Afghanistan, most of the casualties of their attacks have been civilians.

 

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1:25 p.m.

 

An Afghan health official has raised the death toll from the massive suicide car bombing in Kabul earlier in the day, saying the attack killed 80 people.

 

Ismail Kawasi, spokesman for the public health ministry, says that the number of the wounded now stands at 350. He says the target of the attack was not immediately known but that most of the casualties were civilians, including women and children.

 

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Wednesday's explosion, which struck the heart of Kabul's highly secure diplomatic district, the Wazir Akbar Khan area. The neighborhood is home to several embassies and not far from the Presidential Palace and foreign ministry. German and Pakistani authorities have said some of their employees and staff were hurt in the explosion.

 

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1 p.m.

 

Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel says the explosion in Kabul has wounded employees of the German Embassy and killed an Afghan security guard outside the building.

 

Gabriel sais all embassy workers are now safe and offered his condolences to the family of the slain guard.

 

The Foreign Ministry has activated a crisis team to help deal with the aftermath of the bombing on Wednesday that hit at the heart of Kabul's diplomatic section, the explosion going off in a highly secure area close to the German and several other embassies.

 

Afghan officials say 64 people were killed and as many as 320 were wounded. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

 

Gabriel says "our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims. We wish those injured a quick recovery."

 

He vowed that the attack would not shake Germany's determination to "support the Afghan regime with the stabilization of their country."

 

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12:30 p.m.

 

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has strongly condemned the massive attack in Kabul earlier in the morning, just days into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

 

No group has claimed responsibility for what the authorities say was a suicide car bombing that struck a highly secure diplomatic area of the Afghan capital.

 

Wednesday's statement from Ghani's office says the president said that "the terrorists, even in the holy month of Ramadan, the month of goodness, blessing and prayer, are not stopping the killing of our innocent people."

 

Pakistan also issued a statement, saying it "strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Kabul this morning that has caused loss of precious human lives and injuries to many."

 

The statement from Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said "the blast has caused damage to the residences of some Pakistani diplomats and staff, living in the close vicinity, and inflicted minor injuries to some."

 

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11:50 a.m.

 

The Afghan interior ministry says 64 people were killed and as many as 320 were wounded in the massive car bombing in Kabul earlier in the day.

 

A statement from the Ministry of Interior Affairs says it "condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack" that killed so many, including women and children. The ministry did not have details on the possible target of the attack.

 

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group have staged large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital in the past.

 

The explosion took place at the peak of Kabul's rush hour when roads are packed with worktime commuters. It appeared to have gone off close to a busy intersection in the Wazir Akbar Khan district - a highly secure area of the capital that is home to many embassies, diplomatic missions, the Presidential Palace and the Foreign Ministry.

 

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10:10 a.m.

 

An Afghan health official says the rush-hour suicide car bombing in Kabul has killed at least nine people and wounded as many as 90.

 

Ismail Kawasi says it was not immediately known what the target of the attack was on Wednesday morning.

 

Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, says the explosion was so heavy that more than 30 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged at the site of the attack.

 

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group have staged large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital in the past.

 

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8:50 a.m.

 

Afghan officials say a heavy explosion has caused casualties and damage in the diplomatic area of the capital Kabul.

 

Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said at least 50 people were killed or wounded in the suicide car bombing Wednesday.

 

The blast in the Wazir Akbar Khan area happened near several embassies and not far from the presidential palace.

 

Ismail Kawasi, spokesman for the public health ministry, said more than 50 wounded people are in Kabul hospitals so far.

 

Danish said the blast was so heavy more than 30 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged.

 

Windows were shattered in shops, restaurants and other buildings up to a kilometer from the blast site.
A suicide bombing occurs in Kabul near the German embassy with at least 90 killed and 461 injured.