US election could decide fate of 70,000 Afghans
The Taliban, an ultraconservative Islamic political group, retook control of Kabul a little more than three years ago, dashing many Afghans’ hopes for a tolerant, democratic government.
At least 16 people were killed and hundreds of others injured after a massive explosion struck in Kabul, according to Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry on Tuesday.
The Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) explosion which took place late on Monday that targeted Green Village compound, a residential area for foreign nationals and offices, TOLO News quoted Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi as saying.
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He said that a fuel station in the area also caught fire in the explosion.
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Rahimi said that five attackers were involved in the attack who were killed after Special Forces entered the area.
At least 400 foreign nationals were rescued from the area by police, he added.
The blast was huge enough to be heard in across the city.
Meanwhile, the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, Khaama Press reported.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement that one of the suicide bombers of the group detonated the VBIED close to the Green Village.
Mujahid went on to claim that many other assailants stormed into the compound following the explosion.
Monday’s explosion came hours after Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani met visiting US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad earlier on Monday, where the two discussed the latest round of negotiations between Taliban representatives and an American delegation in Qatar.
Last month, 63 people were killed and more than 180 injured after a suicide bomber targeted a wedding hall in Kabul, packed with hundreds of guests.
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