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Suicide bomber kills 41 at Indian embassy in Kabul, 141 injured
In a massive explosion Monday that reverberated around the city, a suicide bomber killed at least 40 people and injured 140 close to the Indian Embassy in the Afghan capital, the Interior Ministry said. The dead included six Afghan policemen. While Afghan cities are no stranger to suicide attacks, Monday's assault ranked among the deadliest in Kabul itself.The bomber rammed a car into two Indian diplomatic vehicles as they entered the gates of the embassy, witnesses reported from the scene. They said the blast wrecked several other cars and spread human body parts and bloodstained scraps of clothing amid the debris. The embassy is near the Afghan Interior Ministry, the scene of a huge blast last year. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The Taliban has threatened to escalate a campaign of suicide bombings in an attempt to topple the government and challenge the presence of some 60,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, including 34,000 Americans. Witnesses said the blast on Monday left two Indian Embassy vehicles wrecked, but the Afghan authorities, quoted by The Associated Press, said the Indian ambassador was not at the mission when the bomber attacked. Hospital staff in Kabul said the dead included two Indian citizens, and news reports from New Delhi said two Indian security guards had been killed. The Afghan Interior Ministry said no senior embassy personnel were among the dead, who included women and three children. The blast seemed to have torn through passers-by close to a nearby market area and people queuing for visas at the embassy. Haji Khial Mohammad, 45, who was in line to apply for an Indian visa, said a 'vehicle came and hit the embassy gate. I was shocked and could not hear anything after the attack. But I saw at least 10 men and three women in the queue who were probably killed.' Mohammad Ajmal, 26 a shopkeeper in the market adjacent to the embassy said, 'After a very loud explosion, I could barely could stand up' after goods from his shelves spilled over him. Reuters reported that U.S. troops were among the security forces who arrived after the blast and cordoned off the area. India is seen as an ally of the Afghan government and is financing major development projects.. Posted by: ryuge 2008-07-07 |
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