KABUL (Reuters) - A powerful bomb hidden in a sewage
tanker exploded in the morning rush hour in the centre of the Afghan capital on
Wednesday, police said, killing at least 80 people, wounding hundreds and
damaging embassy buildings.
The victims appeared mainly to have been Afghan
civilians.
The bomb, one of the deadliest in Kabul and coming at
the start of the holy month of Ramadan, exploded close to the fortified
entrance to the German embassy, wounding some staff, German Foreign Minister
Sigmar Gabriel said. He said that one Afghan security guard was killed and
others were likely among the dead.
"Such attacks do not change our resolve in
continuing to support the Afghan government in the stabilization of the
country," he said.
Basir Mujahid, a spokesman for city police, said the
explosives were hidden in a sewage truck. He suggested that the German embassy
might not have been the target of the blast, which sent clouds of black smoke
into the sky near the presidential palace.
"There are several other important compounds and
offices near there too," he told Reuters.
The blast, which shattered windows and blew doors off
their hinges in houses hundreds of metres away, was unusually strong.
The Taliban, seeking to reimpose Islamic rule after
their 2001 ouster by U.S.-led forces, denied responsibility and said they
condemned attacks that have no legitimate target and killed civilians.
Islamic State, the other main militant group active in
Afghanistan, has claimed responsibility for previous high profile attacks in
Kabul, including an attack on a military hospital in March that killed more
than 50 people.
The NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) mission in Kabul
said Afghan security forces prevented the vehicle carrying the bomb from
entering the heavily protected Green Zone that houses many foreign embassies as
well as its headquarters, also suggesting it may not have reached its intended
target.
A public health official said at least 80 people had
been killed and more than 350 wounded.
Germany will cease flights deporting rejected asylum
seekers to Afghanistan in the next few days, a German official confirmed.
Germany began carrying out group deportations of Afghans in December, seeking
to show it is tackling an influx of migrants by getting rid of those who do not
qualify as refugees.
The French, Turkish and Chinese embassies were among
those damaged, the three countries said, adding there were no immediate signs
of injuries among their diplomats. The BBC said one of its drivers, an Afghan,
was killed driving journalists to work. Four journalists were wounded and
treated in hospital.
Switzerland said the Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation had several windows broken but the staff were safe.
Video shot at the scene showed burning debris, crumbled
walls and buildings, and destroyed cars, many with dead or injured people
inside.
"FELT LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE"
At the Wazir Akbar Khan hospital a few blocks away,
there were scenes of chaos as ambulances brought in wounded. Frantic relatives
scanned casualty lists and questioned hospital staff for news.
"It felt like an earthquake," said
21-year-old Mohammad Hassan, describing the moment the blast struck the bank
where he was working. His head wound had been bandaged but blood still soaked
his white dress shirt.
Another lightly wounded victim, Nabib Ahmad, 27, said
there was widespread destruction and confusion.
"I couldn't think clearly, there was a mess
everywhere," he said.
Frenzy erupted out outside the hospital as ambulances
and police trucks began bringing in the bodies of those killed. Some bodies
were burned or destroyed beyond recognition.
India and Pakistan condemned the blast.
"India stands with Afghanistan in fighting all
types of terrorism. Forces supporting terrorism need to be defeated,"
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet. India said its embassy
staff were safe.
Wednesday's attack provided another clear demonstration
that Ramadan, which began at the weekend, would provide little respite from the
violence across Afghanistan.
Amnesty International demanded an immediate and
impartial investigation.
"Today’s tragedy shows that the conflict in
Afghanistan is not winding down but dangerously widening, in a way that should
alarm the international community," it said in a statement.
The explosion will add pressure to the fragile
government of President Ashraf Ghani, which has faced mounting discontent over
its inability to control the insurgency and provide security for Afghan
citizens.
The Taliban have been stepping up their push to defeat
the U.S.-backed government. Since most international troops withdrew at the end
of 2014, the Taliban have gained ground and now control or contest about 40
percent of the country, according to U.S. estimates, though Ghani's government
holds all provincial centres.
U.S. President Donald Trump is due to decide soon on a
recommendation to send 3,000 to 5,000 more troops to bolster the small NATO
training force and U.S. counter-terrorism mission now totalling just over
10,000.
The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, General
John Nicholson, told a congressional hearing this year that he needed several
thousand more troops to help Afghan forces break a "stalemate" with
the Taliban.
(Additional reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Emmanuel
Jarry in Paris, Ben Blanchard in Beijing, Madeline Chambers and Michelle Martin
in Berlin, Tulay Karadeniz in Ankara and Doug Busvine in New Delhi; Writing by
James Mackenzie; Editing by Nick Macfie and Sonya Hepinstall)
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