Kabul, 29 March 2023 (GNP): According to the authorities, at least six victims were killed when a suicide attacker set off explosives close to Afghanistan’s foreign ministry in Kabul. This is the second blast next to the ministry this year.
Ministry spokesperson Abdul Nafy Takor tweeted on Monday that despite being pursued by Afghan security personnel, the attacker’s explosives exploded and “killed six civilians and wounded a number of others”.
According to Kabul police spokesperson Khalid Zadran, the suicide attacker was located close to the ministry at a security checkpoint.
“In Malik Asghar Square … a suicide attacker before reaching the target was identified at a checkpoint and killed, but his explosives detonated,” he said.
The explosion occurred in a crowded downtown site adjacent to a checkpoint that protects a roadway lined with numerous well-guarded government buildings, including the foreign ministry, however, he declined to identify the target.
At least three Taliban security force personnel, according to Zadran, were injured.
The capital’s hospital run by the Italian NGO Emergency stated it had received two fatalities and 12 injured, among them a child.
Security has significantly increased since the Taliban overthrew the US-backed government and put an end to their two-decade war in August 2021, but the violent Islamic State group (ISIL) has proven to be a growing concern.
The explosion on Monday was the first in Afghanistan since the start of Ramazan on Thursday and the second bombing in less than three months close to the foreign ministry in Kabul.
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According to the United Nations, a suicide assailant exploded himself on January 11 close to the foreign ministry, wounding 53 individuals and inflicting 10 casualties.
With numerous assaults targeting foreigners or foreign interests in an effort to destabilize the Taliban administration, the ISIL organization has grown to be a significant threat, killing and injuring hundreds of people.
The ISIL organization has also taken responsibility for other recent incidents in Kabul, including a blast that occurred close to a checkpoint at the city’s military airport and an attack on a hotel in the middle of December, both of which left numerous people dead and injured.
The Taliban government has stated that it is focused on safeguarding the nation and has recently conducted many operations against alleged ISIL members.
