50 killed in Kabul suicide blast
Bomber strikes at gathering of religious scholars
At least 50 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a meeting of top clerics in Kabul yesterday, officials said, in one of the deadliest attacks in the Afghan capital in months.
Another 70 people were wounded in the blast, health ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said, which targeted a gathering of religious leaders, including members of the Ulema Council, at a wedding hall to mark Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) birthday.
“The suicide bomber detonated himself inside the hall during a ceremony by religious scholars,” Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said, confirming the casualty toll.
A manager of Uranus Wedding Palace, which also hosts political and religious functions, told AFP a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of the gathering of religious scholars.
The bombing of a crowded religious gathering in Kabul yesterday killed at least 50 people, Afghan officials said.
Wahid Majrooh, the spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, said that in addition to those who were killed, 83 people were wounded in an explosion at the Uranus Wedding Palace, near Kabul’s international airport.
Officials were still trying to determine the exact toll. He added that 24 of the wounded were in critical condition.
Najib Danish, the spokesman for the Interior Ministry, called it a suicide bombing and confirmed the death toll.
Witnesses said there were a thousand people inside the hall when the explosion took place.
They included clerics and religious scholars along with others who had gathered to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), a national holiday in Afghanistan.
President Ashraf Gani called the attack “a crime against Islam and humanity” and declared a national day of mourning today.
Shamsul Dua, 50, an ice cream vendor, emerged from the hall with his hands, feet and clothing covered in blood.
He said the explosion took place seven or eight minutes after the gathering began.
“I could only see smoke and debris started falling from the ceiling,” he said. “I personally saw 30 or 40 dead.”
Dua said he had ridden 40 minutes on his bicycle to attend the gathering.
It was 40 minutes before ambulances arrived to evacuate many of the wounded, he said. Ambulances were seen still coming and going from the wedding palace an hour after the blast.
Mohammad Hashim, 36, a survivor, said the blast occurred as verses from the Quran were being recited to begin the commemoration.
“A lot of people were trampled as others were trying to flee,” he said. “There are a lot more than 40 dead in there.”
Nek Amal, 18, was among many who gathered outside the hall seeking news of friends and family members inside. “My brother is inside and I’ve been trying to reach him but he is not answering the phone,” Amal said. “He is there with many friends of his and they’re not answering their phones either.”
Wedding halls, mosques and religious gatherings have been particular targets of Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) in Afghanistan, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility for this attack.