Conflicts & War

At least 6 killed, 12 injured in suicide bombing near Afghan foreign ministry

Kabul, Mar 27 (EFE).- At least six people were killed and 12 wounded on Monday in a suicide bombing close to the Afghan ministry of foreign affairs in Kabul, officials and witnesses said.

“A suicide bomber was identified by the security forces at a checkpoint before reaching the target and detonated the explosives attached to his body, which martyred six of our countrymen and wounded several others,” Kabul police spokesperson Kahlid Zadran tweeted.

Afghan broadcaster Tolo News reported that at least 12 people had been injured in the attack, citing Italian nonprofit Emergency, which runs one of the major hospitals in the capital.

“A very heavy explosion took place and even shook the area, which is is blocked by the security forces,” Haseebullah – a shopkeeper who works near the location of the bombing – told EFE.

The suicide attack comes after in January the Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for another bombing outside the foreign ministry, in which at least five people were killed as per official figures.

The Taliban maintain a strong rivalry with the local branch of the IS, which has emerged as the main security threat in Afghanistan after the Islamist regime seized control of the country in August 2021.

As the number of IS-claimed attacks has gone up, the Afghan security forces have intensified operations to dismantle the terror group’s hideouts across the country.

Earlier on Monday, the Taliban government’s General Directorate of Intelligence said that at least three “key members” of the IS were killed in a series of operations carried out over the past few weeks in northern Afghanistan. EFE

lk-daa/ia

Related Articles

Back to top button