Kabul suicide bombing: Islamic State attack kills over 40; see gut-wrenching photos

Kabul suicide bombing: Terror group Islamic State today claimed that its suicide bomber triggered a blast in Kabul that took the lives of over 40 and wounded dozens of people. The blast took place in the same building as the Afghan Voice Agency, a media outlet which earlier reports had suggested could have been the target. According to reports, the suicide attacker detonated himself during a gathering at Tabayan cultural centre causing a lot of casualties. Deputy interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi according to AFP said that this was the deadliest attack since a Shiite mosque bombing in October that killed more than 50 worshippers and was aimed at the Tabayan cultural centre in the west of the city. Here are some gut-wrenching visuals from the site of the attack-

The main explosion was followed by two smaller bomb blasts as victims and survivors were leaving the scene. Rahimi said the gathering was organised to mark the 38th anniversary of Soviet invasion in Afghanistan. [Security personnel arrive outside the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. Authorities say an attack took place on a Shiite cultural center in the Afghan capital killing and wounding dozens. (Photo: AP)]

An Afghan Voice Agency journalist told AFP that more than 100 people were at the event in the building's basement. There were chaotic scenes at the Istiqlal hospital where ambulances and police pickups brought victims, including women and children. [People carry an injured woman into the hospital after a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. Authorities say two simultaneous attacks, including a suicide bombing attack, in Afghanistan's capital have left dozens dead. (Photo: AP)]

According to reports, many of that people had suffered severe burns to their faces and bodies, as well as shrapnel wounds. [Security personnel arrive outside the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. Authorities say attackers stormed the Shiite Muslim cultural center in the Afghan capital Kabul, setting off multiple bombs and killing dozens. (Photo: AP)]

Visibly distressed relatives searching for their loved ones inside the medical facility slapped their heads in fury as they cried and cursed the government for seemingly being unable to end the regular carnage on their streets. Some were so distraught they crawled on the ground pulling their hair. [Afghan men inspect at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan December 28, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)]

Reporters saw more than a dozen badly burned bodies lying on the floor in a room inside the hospital and wooden coffins being delivered so families could take away the bodies of their loved ones. [People assist an injured woman following a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. Authorities say two simultaneous attacks in Afghanistan's capital have left dozens dead. (Photo: AP)]

Kabul has become one of the deadliest places in war-torn Afghanistan for civilians in recent months, as the Taliban step up their attacks and IS seeks to expand its presence in the country. [Afghan women mourn inside a hospital compound after a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan December 28, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)]

Today's assault comes days after a suicide bomber killed six civilians in an attack near an Afghan intelligence agency compound in the city, which was claimed by IS. [An Afghan security force inspects bullet holes at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan December 28, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)]

The Middle Eastern jihadist group has gained ground in Afghanistan since it first appeared in the region in 2015, and has scaled up its attacks in Kabul, including on security installations and the country's Shiite minority. [People carry an injured man into the hospital follwoing a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. Authorities say two simultaneous attacks in Afghanistan's capital have left dozens dead. (Photo: AP)]

A man attending the anniversary ceremony at Tabayan said he heard a "big boom". "We do not know the numbers (of casualties). When the explosion happened we immediately fled," he told Tolo News. [Afghan policemen stand guard at the site of a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan December 28, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)]

Mohammad Hasan Rezayee, a university student who was also at the ceremony, told Tolo News he had suffered burns to his face in the blast. "We were inside the hall in the second row when there was an explosion behind us. I did not see the bomber," he said from his hospital bed. [A man is carried into a hospital in tears after a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. Authorities say two simultaneous attacks in Afghanistan's capital have left dozens dead. (Photo: AP)]

"After the blast, there was fire and smoke inside the building and everyone was pleading for help." The attack drew international condemnation, with NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan describing it as "heinous". [An Afghan man carries an empty coffin inside a hospital compound after a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan December 28, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)]

Amnesty International said it was further evidence that Kabul was not safe. "The European governments who insist on this dangerous fiction by forcibly returning Afghans are putting their lives in danger," Amnesty International's South Asia director Biraj Patnaik said in a statement. [An Afghan policeman keeps watch at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan December 28, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)]

Photos posted on Afghan Voice Agency's Facebook page showed the inside of a compound with debris and bodies lying on the ground. [Afghan security forces keep watch at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan December 28, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)]