Wedding ends in tragedy as Daesh-claimed suicide attack kills 63
BLAST COMES AS WASHINGTON AND TALIBAN EYE DEAL TO CUT US PRESENCE
Joy and celebration turned into horror and carnage when a Daesh suicide bomber targeted a packed Afghan wedding hall, killing at least 63 people in the deadliest attack to rock Kabul in months, officials and witnesses said yesterday.
The blast, which took place late Saturday in west Kabul, came as Washington and the Taliban finalise a deal to reduce the US military presence in Afghanistan and hopefully build a road map to a ceasefire.
UAE condemns
The UAE has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the wedding. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement that the UAE reaffirms its support to the Afghan government as it confronts the menace of terrorism.
“This cowardly attack claimed by Daesh on a civilian gathering is a solemn reminder of the complex challenges faced by the Afghan government as it works to enter a new phase of stability and security,” the ministry continued.
Afghan interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said at least 63 people had been killed and 182 injured. “Among the wounded are women and children,” Rahimi said.
The groom, who only gave his name as Mirwais, recalled greeting smiling guests in the afternoon, before seeing their bodies being carried out hours later.
The attack “changed my happiness to sorrow”, Mirwais told local TV station Tolo News.
“My family, my bride are in shock, they cannot even speak. My bride keeps fainting,” he said. “I lost my brother, I lost my friends, I lost my relatives. I will never see happiness in my life again.”
Afghan weddings are epic and vibrant affairs, with hundreds or often thousands of guests celebrating for hours inside industrial-scale wedding halls where the men are usually segregated from the women and children.
“The wedding guests were dancing and celebrating the party when the blast happened,” recounted Munir Ahmad, 23, who was seriously injured and whose cousin was among the dead.
President Ashraf Gani called the incident a “barbaric attack”.