Kabul truck bomb kills at least 80, over 300 wounded in rush hour

At least 80 people were killed when a truck bomb ripped through Kabul’s ­diplomatic quarter yesterday.

The German embassy in Kabul on May 31, 2017.

At least 80 people were killed and hundreds wounded yesterday when a massive truck bomb ripped through Kabul’s ­diplomatic quarter, bringing carnage to the streets of the Afghan capital and shattering windows hundreds of metres away.

Bodies littered the scene and a towering plume of smoke rose from the area, which houses ­embassies, after the blast in the morning rush hour blew out the windows in several missions and residences.

Witnesses described dozens of cars choking the roads as wounded survivors and panicked schoolgirls sought safety. Parents struggled to get through security checkpoints to search for loved ones.

The target of the attack — which officials said was a suicide car bombing — was not immediately known, but Public Health Ministry spokesman Ismail ­Kawasi said most of the casualties were civilians, including women and children.

The attack underscores spiralling insecurity in Afghanistan, where a military beset by soaring casualties and desertions is ­struggling to beat back the insurgents. Over a third of the country is outside government control.

More than an hour after the ­explosion, ambulances were still taking the wounded to hospital and officials were pulling bodies from the rubble as firefighters struggled to control blazes in ­several buildings.

“Unfortunately the toll has reached 80 martyred and over 300 wounded, including many women and children,” said Interior Ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh, adding the figures would continue to climb as more bodies were pulled from the debris.

The Interior Ministry, which put the number of wounded at 320, said a suicide bomber had detonated an explosives-packed vehicle in Zanbaq Square about 8.30am (2pm AEST). “More than 50 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged,” it said.

The ministry called on Kabul residents to donate blood, saying hospitals were in “dire need”.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The Taliban — in the midst of their annual spring offensive — tweeted that they were not ­involved and “strongly condemn” the attack. The insurgent group rarely claims responsibility for ­attacks that kill large numbers of civilians.

Islamic State has claimed ­responsibility for several recent bombings in the Afghan capital, including a powerful blast targeting an armoured NATO convoy that killed at least eight people and wounded 28 on May 3.

Indian ambassador to Afghanistan Manpreet Vohra told the Times Now television channel the bomb went off about 100m from India’s embassy, one of several in the area. “We are all safe, all our staff, all our personnel are safe. However, the blast was very large and nearby buildings including our own building have considerable damage in terms of broken glass and shattered windows and blown doors,” he said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “We strongly condemn the terrorist blast in Kabul. Our thoughts are with the families of the deceased & prayers with the injured.”

The explosion also shattered windows at the Japanese embassy. “Two Japanese embassy staffers were slightly injured, suffering cuts,” a foreign ministry official in Tokyo said.

The French and German embassy were damaged. An Afghan security guard was killed and ­several diplomatic staff wounded at the German mission. The BBC said a driver for the British broadcaster was killed and four of its journalists were wounded.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has warned of “another tough year” for both foreign troops and local forces in Afghanistan. Afghan troops are backed by US and NATO forces, and the Pentagon has asked the White House to send 5000 more troops to the country to break the deadlock in the fight against the ­Taliban.

Canberra this week agreed to send an extra 30 troops, bringing the Australian contingent to 300.

US troops in Afghanistan number about 8400 now, and there are a further 5000 from NATO allies. They mainly serve in an advisory capacity — a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago.

Yesterday’s blast was the latest in a long line of attacks in Kabul. The province surrounding the capital had the highest number of casualties in the first three months of 2017 due to multiple attacks in the city, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.

AFP. AP