Longest U.S. war takes horrific turn in Kabul

Blast that killed at least 90 is a grim reminder that Afghanistan conflict remains a stalemate

@jimmichaels USA TODAY

A massive truck bombing in Kabul that killed at least 90 people Wednesday highlights the stark choices facing President Trump as he tries to alter the course of a war in Afghanistan that has dragged on for more than 15 years and is characterized by commanders as a stalemate.

The blast ripped through the diplomatic quarter of the Afghan capital Wednesday and left the city in shock. More than 400 people were wounded. Officials said the explosives were hidden in a tanker truck and detonated during rush hour near Zambaq Square in the center of Kabul, and most of the wounded were civilians, including women and children.

The bombing is the latest example of how insurgents can infiltrate the country’s capital in a supposedly secure part of the city near embassies and government offices. The attack appeared to be sophisticated and well-planned, because the truck carrying the bomb got through multiple layers of security inside the city.

“There could have been cooperation with Afghan security

SHAH MARAI, AFP/GETTY IMAGES A wounded man is helped after a bomb ripped through the Afghan capital’s diplomatic quarter.

WAKIL KOHSAR, AFP/GETTY IMAGES The tanker truck bomb was so powerful it left a crater in the concrete and gutted an entire city block. More than 400 people were wounded in the blast.