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 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. “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. "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. 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. 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 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. The Taliban -- currently in the midst of their annual "spring offensive" -- tweeted that they were not involved and "strongly condemn" the blast. 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. Kabul bomb blast death toll hits 80, over 350 others injured in suicide attack near Indian embassy

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WATCH: Huge blast near Indian embassy in Kabul, many feared killed His statement added that the Taliban condemn "every explosion and attack carried out against civilians, or in which civilians are harmed." "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. 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. “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. 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 similarly reported damage to their embassies, including shattered windows, as the blast drew an avalanche of international condemnation. 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. 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. 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. They mainly serve in an advisory capacity -- a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago.
A suicide bombing occurs in Kabul near the German embassy with at least 90 killed and 461 injured.