Truck bomb rocks diplomatic area in Kabul
Massive explosion kills 90, injures more than 400, sparking new security fears
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN— A suicide attacker struck the fortified heart of the Afghan capital with a massive truck bomb Wednesday, killing 90 people, wounding 400 and raising new fears about the government’s ability to protect its citizens nearly 16 years into a war with insurgents.
The bomber drove into Kabul’s heavily guarded diplomatic quarter during the morning rush hour, close to the Canadian Embassy, leaving behind a bloody scene of chaos and destruction in one of the worst attacks since the drawdown of foreign forces from Afghanistan in 2014.
Most of the casualties were civilians, including women and children, said Ismail Kawasi, spokesperson for the public health ministry. But the dead also included Afghan security guards at the facilities, including the U.S. Embassy, while 11 American contractors were wounded — none with life-threatening injuries, a U.S. State Department official said.
There have been no reports of Canadian casualties. The bombing happened about 300 metres from the Canadian Embassy, which escaped serious damage.
In a tweet, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said all embassy staff are safe, adding that “Canadians will keep working alongside Afghans as they rebuild and recover.”
There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, which came in the first week of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The Taliban flatly denied any involvement in an email to news outlets and condemned all attacks against civilians.
The explosives were hidden in a tanker truck used to clean out septic systems, said Najib Danish, deputy spokesperson for the interior minister.
The blast gouged a crater about five metres deep near Zanbaq Square in the Wazir Akbar Khan district, where foreign embassies are protected by a battery of their own security personnel as well as Afghan police and National Security Forces. The nearby German Embassy was heavi- ly damaged.
Also in the area is Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, the Presidential Palace and its intelligence and security headquarters, guarded by soldiers trained by the U.S. and its coali- tion partners.
“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,” said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland condemned the bombing, adding that Afghanistan can continue to rely on Canadian support.
“Our thoughts are with the frontline workers who are responding to the traumatic scene and we grieve with the families affected,” she said in a statement.
“The timing of this cowardly attack during the holy month of Ramadan was deliberate and intended to target civilians and foreign service workers from some of our closest allies.”
Afghanistan’s war, the longest-ever involving U.S. troops, has shown no sign of letting up, and the introduction into the battle of a Daesh affiliate has made the country only more volatile.
Although they are small in number, militants from Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, in Khorasan — an ancient name for parts of Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia — have taken credit for several brazen assaults on the capital.
The stricken neighbourhood was considered Kabul’s safest, with the embassies protected by dozens of three-metre-high blast walls and government offices guarded by security forces. More than 50 cars were either destroyed or damaged.
“I’ve never seen such a powerful explosion in my life,” said Mohammad Haroon, who owns a nearby sporting goods store. All the windows in his shop and others around him were shattered, he added.
The Star’s view: Troops won’t solve mess, A12