Taliban claims responsibility for Kabul blast that killed over 38
11 Jan 2017
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the deadly bomb blasts that rocked Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday that claimed at least 38 lives and left several others wounded.
Kabul was rocked yesterday with two huge bomb blasts, one of them triggered by a suicide bomber. At least 38 people were killed and dozens were wounded in the deadliest Taliban violence in Kabul in months.
Another attack was reported from southern Afghanistan, at a guesthouse belonging to the governor of Kandahar province. The attack killed 11 people, while 12 were injured. The injured included an ambassador from the United Arab Emirates and also other UAE diplomats, according to authorities.
The Kabul suicide bomber struck about 4 pm as workers were leaving a compound of government and legislative offices, interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said. He added that the second bomb, which was planted in a car, exploded minutes later as security forces rushed to help the victims.
The Taliban, which had been waging a 15-year war against the US-backed government, had claimed responsibility for the attack in the capital.
According to public health ministry official, Mohibullah Zeer, the dead included civilians and military personnel. He added that another 72 people were wounded.
Ghulam Faroq Naziri, another lawmaker from the province, said the wounded included Rahima Jami, a member of parliament from Herat province in western Afghanistan.
Five Emirati humanitarian workers were also among those killed in the Kandahar attack, the official Emirati news agency WAM reported. The president of the UAE had declared three days of mourning for the victims.
According to the UAE, the incident was a terror attack.
According to the National Security Council, in Helmand province, a suicide bomber killed at least seven Afghans, including both civilian and military personnel.
The Kabul attacks, targeted a van carrying administrative staffers of the Afghan parliament near the parliament compound and the private American University of Afghanistan, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said, CNN reported.