18 killed in Afghan bomb attack near political gathering
At least 18 Afghan people, including policemen and civilians, have lost their lives in a bombing near a hotel in the country’s capital, Kabul.
Police sources said the casualties took place on Thursday when the bomber tried to get into the hotel building— which was hosting a political gathering — but was stopped at the security checkpoint.
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said supporters of Atta Mohammad Noor, the powerful governor of Afghanistan’s Balkh Province, had been holding an event inside the hall of the hotel at the time of the explosion.
“After lunch, as we were exiting the hall a huge explosion shook the hall, shattering glass and causing chaos and panic,” Harun Mutaref, a participant at the gathering said. “I saw many bodies including police and civilians lying in blood.”
A Press TV correspondent said that among those killed in the attack were eight police officers. This is while the Interior Ministry had earlier put the number of the fatalities at seven police officers and two civilians.
The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack, which was the latest in a wave of violence in Afghanistan that has killed and wounded thousands of civilians this year.
Afghanistan is engulfed by violence and many parts of the country remain plagued by militancy despite the presence of foreign troops.
The United States and its NATO allies occupied the country as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror in 2001, which toppled the Taliban regime.
Over the past 16 years, the Taliban have been carrying out militancy across Afghanistan, killing and displacing government officials, security forces, and civilians.
The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group has also more recently gained a foothold in the country.
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