External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday took to Twitter to inform that all Indian residents in Kabul are safe after a suicide bomber struck near the US Embassy in Afghanistan’s capital killed 13 people in the capital city. The attack has been claimed by the Islamic State group. Afghanistan’s Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Mujro said another at least 20 people were wounded in the blast, which took place in a heavily-guarded area housing several diplomatic missions and the offices of international organizations.
As per some witnesses of the attack, there were a number of dead bodies and wounded victims lying around. The military and civilian ambulances arrived soon after the incident took place. According to a report by Associated Press, the attack happened about 500 meters (yards) from the American Embassy, but there were no reports of foreigners killed or wounded. As of now, the police have promptly cordoned off the area of the attack.
“Our initial information shows the suicide attacker was on a motorcycle. He made it through the first checkpoint but was stopped at the second checkpoint and detonated,” defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP.
This is not for the first time that the city has been targetted by the insurgents. The last major assault in Kabul was on October 20 when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a Shiite mosque during evening prayers, killing 56 and wounding 55.
Similarly, in May a huge bomb in the capital’s so-called Green Zone where many diplomatic missions are based, left more than 150 people dead. It was termed as one of the deadliest suicide attack by insurgents in Afghanistan since the Taliban were driven from power by US-led forces in 2001.