KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber rammed two diplomatic vehicles entering the Indian Embassy in Kabul on Monday, killing 41 people and wounding 141, Afghan authorities said.
The Taliban have vowed to step up their campaign of suicide bombings this year, graphically demonstrating that despite the increase in foreign troops in Afghanistan and more trained Afghan forces on patrol, the militants are far from defeated.
“I saw wounded and dead people everywhere on the road,” said Danish Karokhil, the head of the independent Pajhwok news agency, whose offices are close by.
“The target was the diplomatic vehicles. They were trying to get inside the embassy when the suicide car bomber attacked them,” he said.
Health Ministry spokesman Abdullah Fahim said 28 people were killed and 141 wounded, but a senior police official later revised this to 41 dead..
“More than 10 people are in a very critical condition. At least one woman and one baby were killed. At least three babies were wounded and women, children, military personnel and civilians are among the casualties,” Fahim said.
The two embassy vehicles were destroyed by the blast, but it was not clear if those inside were among the casualties. India has close relations with the Afghan government and is funding and building a number of large infrastructure projects, but had no diplomatic ties to the Taliban when they ruled the country.
INDIA CONDEMNS
The gates of the embassy were blown off and the walls and buildings inside the compound were also damaged by the force of the blast, said an Indian diplomat who declined to be named.
“We fear that there may be casualties among our personnel and are ascertaining full details,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The government of India strongly condemns this cowardly terrorist attack on its diplomatic mission in Afghanistan. Such acts of terror will not deter us from fulfilling our commitments to the government and people of Afghanistan,” India said.
Security guards, a line of people waiting for visas and those shopping at a nearby market were likely the main victims.
Two women were among five dead at Kabul’s Emergency Hospital. One of the dead women had a baby with her at the time of the blast, the woman’s sister said. The baby was now missing.
Grey smoke and dust poured from the scene of the blast. Police cordoned off the area as ambulance crews raced the wounded to hospital. Several U.S. soldiers were also at the scene.
U.S. troops later shot dead the driver of another car and wounded a passenger, witnesses said. U.S. military vehicles were driving through the city at high speed after the bombing, soldiers shouting angrily at drivers to get out the way.
Afghan officials have repeatedly accused India’s rival Pakistan of allowing the Islamist Taliban to operate from sanctuaries inside Pakistan, a charge Pakistan denies.
(Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Writing by Jon Hemming; Editing by David Fox
4 Indians killed. 39 Afghans killed and 141 injured. Most of them innocent civilians in visa queue. Probably, quite a number of Pushtun casualties in this count.
^ I thought Afghans loved India to the point of offeriong them unofficial bases to watch Pakistan from the other side?
More thank likely they'll investigate more on the A-P border
Indians like every other nation act as smart asses. There is no point in watching Pakistan from other side as it doesn't concern us. $750 M has been promised for Afghanistan as we are full of milk and honey.
Defence Attache Brigadier R D Mehta and Counsellor Venkateswara Rao were killed when the suicide bomber targeted the embassy during the morning rush hour, Indian ambassador Jayant Prasad, who escaped unhurt in the bombing, said.
Most Afghans hate India due to Indian support of Soviet Union invading Afghanistan in 1979
Its mostly these corrupt Northern Alliance people who are allied with India that are starting this blame game with Pakistan
Expected a more mature comment from you. You disappoint not only me but also a lot of well meaning posters here.. Not even a single word of condemnation. Just scoring brownie points.
1979 is way too much in the past to be angry about. It was not just the Indian officials who died. Ordinary citizens of Afghanistan also died. This shows how much these idiots care for their own brethern
India’s success stems from its development of a highly constructive, imaginative reconstruction strategy for Afghanistan. As Ahmed Rashid points out, this strategy is designed to please every sector of Afghan society, give India a high profile with the Afghan people, gain maximum political advantage with the Afghan government, increase New Delhi’s influence with its Northern Alliance friends ** and turn India’s image from that of a country that supported the Soviet invasion and the communist regime in the 1980s ** to an indispensable ally and friend of the Afghan people in the new century.
Expected a more mature comment from you. You disappoint not only me but also a lot of well meaning posters here.. Not even a single word of condemnation. Just scoring brownie points.
1979 is way too much in the past to be angry about. It was not just the Indian officials who died. Ordinary citizens of Afghanistan also died. This shows how much these idiots care for their own brethern
I'm pretty sure M2K doesn't feel happy about this.
However, no matter the past or how long it's been, Asian people are known to keep deep grudges that go down from generation to generation. Look at India and Pakistan, we became independent nations in 1947, and yet we find lingering traces of animosity.
I'm not advocating Afghans dislike India or Indians, but in the light of history, i wouldn't outright reject the notion either.
So when did he became a credible news source for u guys… is’n’t he the guy who exposed pakistan’s double game in the war against terror…the guy who the establishment loves to hate…
make up ur mind buddy if u think he is credible i will bombard this forum with his analysis on pakistan and militant islam…u would regret having visited this forum..
But before we blame Pakistan as a whole we should consider that there is the possibility that the terrorists that committed this are acting on their own without command and control by Pakistan authorities.
I'm pretty sure M2K doesn't feel happy about this.
However, no matter the past or how long it's been, Asian people are known to keep deep grudges that go down from generation to generation. Look at India and Pakistan, we became independent nations in 1947, and yet we find lingering traces of animosity.
By the way 60 years is nothing for these conflicts.
Macedonia and Greece fight over 2,000 - 3,000 year old history i.e whether Alexander the Great, a Greek Macedonian or a Slav Macedonian.
Coming back to the topic,I think India can't and shouldn't blame Pakistan, Pakistani ambassador to Afghanistan was captured for almost an year and Pakistan couldn't have done much about it either. Pakistan doesn't have much leverage or say in Afghani affairs any more.
The timing of the blast is something evry one is pointing.. the target was the militairy attache of india.. taliban wouldnt have known the presence unless ISI gave them the information and that is precisely wat afgan govt is saying... the role of an intelligence agency of a neighbouring country..the reference is obvious