Kabul blast: Attack kills 80 near diplomatic area in Afghanistan

Capitalism · May 31, 2017

(CNN)A huge suicide bomb ripped through a secure area of Kabul at the height of the Wednesday morning rush hour, killing at least 80 people and wounding more than 300, Afghan officials said.

The blast, which came a few days into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, was one of the deadliest to hit the Afghan capital in recent years.

How do they get so much explosive material through such a highly guarded place one might ask.

Leaks, moles, and other problems have arisen.

waltky · May 31, 2017

May be the work of the Haqqani network...

Truck bomb kills 90, wounds hundreds in Afghan capital
May 31,`17: 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, 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, spokesman of 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. "I have been to many attacks, taken wounded people out of many blast sites, but I can say I have ever seen such a horrible attack as I saw this morning," ambulance driver Alef Ahmadzai told The Associated Press. "Everywhere was on fire and so many people were in critical condition."

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 spokesman for the interior minister. The number of dead and wounded was provided by the Afghan government's media center, citing a statement from the Afghan Ulema Council, the country's top religious body that includes Muslim clerics, scholars and men of authority in religion and law. The blast gouged a crater about 5 meters (15 feet) 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 heavily damaged.

Security forces inspect near the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 31, 2017. A massive explosion rocked a highly secure diplomatic area of Kabul on Wednesday morning, causing casualties and sending a huge plume of smoke over the Afghan capital.

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 coalition 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 President Ashraf Ghani. President Donald Trump spoke with Ghani after the attack, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson condemned it as a "senseless and cowardly act." "The United States stands with the government and the people of Afghanistan and will continue to support their efforts to achieve peace, security, and prosperity for their country," Tillerson said in a statement.

Afghanistan's war, the longest ever involving U.S. troops, has shown no sign of letting up, and the introduction into the battle of an Islamic State affiliate has made the country only more volatile. Although they are small in number, militants from the Islamic State in Khorasan - an ancient name for parts of Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia - have taken credit for several brazen assaults on the capital. "Let's be clear: This is an intelligence failure, as has been the case with so many other attacks in Kabul and beyond. There was a clear failure to anticipate a major security threat in a highly secured area," said Michael Kugelman of the U.S.-based Wilson Center. "The fact that these intelligence failures keep happening suggest that something isn't working at the top, and major and urgent changes are needed in security policy," he said by email.

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Kabul bomb: Afghan leader condemns 'cowardly' attack
Wed, 31 May 2017 - A massive truck bomb rocked the diplomatic area of the Afghan capital, killing at least 90 people.

President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan has condemned a massive bomb attack in the capital Kabul, which killed at least 90 people, as "cowardly". A suicide attacker detonated a bomb hidden inside a tanker truck close to the heavily protected diplomatic area during the morning rush hour. Some 400 people were injured by the blast, which left a deep crater. No group has said it carried out the attack but Taliban militants denied being involved. Recent bomb attacks in Kabul have been claimed either by the Taliban or so-called Islamic State (IS).

Kabul map

Most of the casualties were Afghans but foreign nationals were also injured, including 11 US citizens. The bomb exploded close to the German embassy, where a number of staff were injured. Authorities in Germany postponed a deportation flight due to return failed Afghan asylum seekers, with a government source telling AFP news agency that diplomatic and consular staff had "more important things to do than to deal with organisational matters" so soon after the attack.

When and where did the attack take place?

The bomb went off at about 08:20 local time (03:50 GMT) near Zanbaq Square, outside the Green Zone, Capt William Salvin, spokesman for Nato's Resolute Support Mission, told the BBC. Reports vary as to the kind of vehicle used to deliver the bomb - either a water or sewage tanker. One Western diplomatic source told AFP news agency the blast had been caused by more than 1,500kg (3,307lb) of explosives. The area is home to key buildings including embassies and the presidential palace. More than 50 other vehicles were destroyed.

Who were the casualties?

Many of the casualties appear to have been Afghan civilians on their way to work or school and office workers in nearby buildings. "I have never seen such a terrible explosion in my life," local shop owner Sayed Rahman told Reuters news agency after his store was badly damaged. Another resident, Abdul Wahid, told the BBC the blast had been "like a heavy earthquake".

Several international and local sources have been reporting on casualties:
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waltky · Jan 29, 2018

Deadly attack on Kabul military base after bombing...

Afghanistan conflict: Deadly attack on Kabul military base
Militants have attacked an army base near a military academy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing at least 11 soldiers.

Sixteen other Afghan soldiers were injured, a defence ministry spokesman told the BBC. Five militants were involved, said the spokesman. Four were killed in the attack but one was arrested. The attack has been claimed by the Islamic State (IS), according to the militant group's Amaq news agency. Earlier reports said the attack had taken place at Marshal Fahim National Defense University, which is near the military base. It comes days after the deadliest bombing for months hit Kabul when Taliban militants in an ambulance packed with explosives killed at least 100 people.

Militants change tactics

Both the Taliban and IS seem now to be focussing their energies on carrying out attacks in Kabul. Government officials say it is a response to progress made by the security forces elsewhere in the country. US air strikes have helped push the Taliban back from some parts of Helmand Province for example. However, it could also just be that the militants have decided attacking the capital is a more effective way of undermining confidence in the government and attracting international attention than trying to capture and retain territory in rural areas.

Security forces have blocked off the roads near the site of the attack

The chief of the Afghan intelligence services said on Sunday he believed the upsurge in attacks was a response to increased US pressure on Pakistan. The US and Afghanistan accuse Pakistan of providing safe havens to militants and President Donald Trump recently suspended security aid to Islamabad. Pakistan has denied the claims. Whatever the reason, it is clear that violence in Kabul is on the rise.

How did Monday's attack unfold?

Several explosions were heard, as well as small-arms fire, as the attack began at about 05:00 local time (00:30 GMT) at the military base in western Kabul. Two attackers blew themselves up, two others were killed by security forces and a fifth was arrested, defence ministry spokesman Gen Dawlat Waiziri told the BBC. Four AK-47 assault rifles, one suicide vest and one rocket-launcher were seized, he said. The president's spokesperson said none of the attackers had been able to get further than the first gate, Afghan news website Tolo reports. Afghan military institutions are frequently targeted by militants.

Has the academy been targeted before?
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Kabul blast: Attack kills 80 near diplomatic area in Afghanistan

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