12 dead and dozens injured in three consecutive explosions in Kabul
Kabul | Jagran Press Office: Twelve people were killed and dozens injured in three consecutive bomb blasts that rocked Kabul on Thursday, officials said.
“A magnetic bomb stuck on a minibus first exploded, then a suicide bomber blew himself up near the site of the bus attack and the third explosion occurred when a car was blown up by unknown militants “said Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman for the interior ministry in Kabul. .
According to reports, the first explosion took place around 8:10 a.m. when a suicide bomber on a motorcycle targeted a bus carrying employees of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum.
The second bomb exploded near the site of the bus attack, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Amid fears the death toll from the bombings could rise, the Home Office said victims of both attacks included women and children. The third attack took place when an explosive-laden vehicle detonated in another part of the city, a mainly residential area that also has several industrial plants.
But the target of the third attack was still unclear. It was also not immediately known whether there were any casualties in the attack, according to the Interior Ministry. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks but the government suspected the bombings were carried out by the Taliban.
“Taliban violence against civilians continues across the country. The Ministry of Interior strongly condemns today’s despicable and senseless attack… The deliberate targeting of civilians is a war crime” , says the official press release.
The triple bombing in Kabul came less than a week after nine people were killed and 33 injured in an attack on July 19, when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden car near the Ministry of Defense facilities while being pursued by police.
The attacks also come amid the ongoing visit of US envoy for Afghan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, who met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah on Wednesday to help form a team to negotiate with the Taliban leaders.
After his visit to Kabul, the envoy is due to leave for Qatar’s capital, Doha, where the eighth round of peace talks with Taliban leaders to negotiate the withdrawal of international troops – the militant group’s main demand – are due to take place.
Both sides are seeking a way out of nearly two decades of Afghan war, although the Taliban have so far refused to negotiate directly with the Afghan government.
Posted by: Aalok Sensharma