A powerful Taliban car bomb followed by a fierce firefight in the Afghan capital comes a week after the Taliban launched its annual spring offensive.
he attack, which took place in a crowded area in Kabul during morning rush hour, was by far the biggest in the Afghan capital since a truck bombing wounded 240 people last August, and the first since the Taliban declared the start of their spring offensive last week.
Police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said civilians and members of the Afghan security forces were among the dead and wounded.
Gen. Abdul Rahman Rahimi, the Kabul police chief, said that at least 28 people were killed in the attack.
Qandar Ustad, a mechanic whose shop is also nearby, said: ”It was a very loud bang. Dust and shrapnel started falling through the roof of my shop and I even saw body parts of people flying and dropping on the ground. I rushed home and thank god my kids and myself are safe.”
President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms” in a statement from the presidential palace, only a few hundred meters away from the scene of the blast in central Kabul.
PM Narendra Modi condemns terror attack in Kabul
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today condemned the attack in Kabul and extended condolences to the bereaved families.
“I condemn the attack in Kabul and extend my condolences to bereaved families. Prayers with the injured for a speedy recovery,” he tweeted.
A suicide bomber blew up a truck laden with explosives in central Kabul today, killing at least 28 people and wounding hundreds. The second attacker engaged security forces in a gunbattle before being gunned down.
