By Shadi Khan Saif
KABUL, Afghanistan (AA): A massive suicide car bombing by Taliban rocked Afghan capital Kabul’s diplomatic enclave on Thursday, an official said.
The Health Ministry has confirmed 12 people were killed, 10 civilians and one US service member and a Romanian soldier and over 42 others wounded.
Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi told Anadolu Agency the bombing took place in the Shash Darak area at around 10.30 a.m. local time (0600GMT) not far from the U.S. Embassy.
CCTV footage of the attack circulating on social media shows a mini-bus ramming into a convoy of two armored pick-ups at a security checkpoint.
A second suicide car bombing hours later hit Pul-e-Alam, the capital of eastern Logar province, killing four civilians.
“Peace with a group that is still killing innocent people is meaningless,” Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement.
Spokesman for the provincial governor Deedar Lawang was quoted by the local Salam Afghanistan radio as confirming the attack.
The Taliban took responsibility for both attacks saying convoys of foreign troops were the targets.
This comes as the U.S. and Taliban announced to have reached a peace deal in principle following marathon round of talks in Doha, Qatar over the weekend.
Additional report by The Muslim News
[Photo: Security forces stand guard after a massive suicide car bombing by Taliban rocked Afghan capital Kabul’s diplomatic enclave, which killed 12 people and left 42 others wounded, on September 05, 2019. Photographer: Sayed Khodaberdi Sadat/AA]
