Six die at funeral for Kabul protester
KABUL // At least six people were killed yesterday when three suicide bombers struck a funeral attended by senior government officials in Kabul.
The bombers struck the funeral of Salim Izadyar, son of Mohammad Alan Izadyar, the deputy speaker of the Afghan senate and former warlord who fought the Taliban in 2001.
Izadyar was killed on Friday during the protest calling for the government to improve security or quit, after a lorry bomb killed 90 people on Wednesday.
The three explosions rocked the cemetery where mourners including government ministers, senators and members of parliament gathered at 3pm for the burial ceremony.
Several of the officials were among the injured. One witness said he saw 24 bodies.
Another witness, Nur Ahmad said the first blast came as the imam began the opening prayer.
“A second later there was an explosion close to the imam,” Mr Ahmad said. “He was martyred and everyone in the line of people closest to him were injured.
“I also saw that the father of the dead man was injured.”
Another mourner, Fareed, saw the bombers approach.
“Half their bodies were left behind and people tied them to the back of a Corolla car and drove them away,” Fareed said.
“I can’t understand how they managed to enter with bombs when we were all searched by the security forces when we arrived.
“They checked men for arms too, but still the suicide bombers were able to get in and kill and hurt so many people. I can’t explain how I managed to escape, except that God saved me.” On Wednesday, the powerful bomb packed into a lorry exploded in one of the most heavily guarded parts of the capital, containing the presidential palace and foreign embassies, killing 90 and injuring more than 450.
As with the lorry bombing, no one claimed responsibility for yesterday’s attack and the Taliban denied involvement.
The high- profile strike has raised serious concerns about the ability of Afghan authorities and security forces to provide the most basic protection for citizens. Wahid Mujro, spokesman for the public health ministry, said 87 people were wounded in the funeral attack.
Afghanistan’s chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, was at the funeral and appeared live on tele vision afterwards. Mr Abdullah demanded an investigation into how the attackers were able to get so close to a funeral attended by government officials.
He also called for an investigation into whether police used live ammunition against protesters on Friday. That demonstration turned ugly after protesters, many of whom were calling for the country’s leadership to resign, tried to move closer to the palace and some rushed police.
The officers fired warning shots and used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The city’s police chief said some demonstrators fired weapons in the direction of his men. How many protesters were killed remains unclear.
A parliamentary source said it was eight, hospital officials said they received four bodies and on Friday police officials said there were two fatalities.
At an emergency security meeting yesterday, president Ashraf Ghani and senior security officials called for an investigation into the deadly violence at the protest.
Mr Ghani spoke briefly on television and called for national unity.
“Terrorist groups plot to sow chaos,” he said. “Their aim is to create poor governance and disorder in communities.
“We must not let ourselves fall into the trap that the enemies have brought to our country.”