Tension in Afghanistan – Bomb-laden Truck Exploded Near the Defence Ministry

By TOC

KABUL (BM) – Afghan security forces on Monday were battling Taliban gunmen who stormed a building in the capital, Kabul, after a bomb-laden truck exploded near the defence ministry at rush hour, injuring at least 100 people, including 35 children, learned BulgarianMilitary.com, quoting Reuters.

For hours after the attack, sporadic gunfire and explosions could be heard in the area, cordoned off by special forces. At least three gunmen entered a building around the defence ministry after the blast, a government security official said.

Read more: Two US Soldiers Have Been Killed in Afghanistan

“Gunmen have entered a building and they are clashing with the Afghan forces after the powerful blast,” said interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

“The target was the defence ministry’s technical installation,” the Islamist militants’ spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a statement.

Afghan security officials said the truck loaded with explosives was detonated near the ministry’s engineering and logistics department.

About 100 wounded people were taken to hospital, said health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar, but there was no immediate word of fatalities.

Thirty-five school children were wounded, said Nimatullah Hamdard, the director of a nearby private school.

Read more: The Taliban’s Spring Offensive Announcement is Reckless, Said Zalmay Khalilzad

The blast sent a plume of black smoke rising over the city and shook buildings as the wail of ambulance sirens rent the air.

Clustered in the area are military and government buildings, as well as an office of the Afghan Football Federation, whose spokesman, Shafi Shadab, said its chief, Yosuf Kargar, was among several members injured.

The attack comes as U.S. special peace envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad holds a seventh round of peace talks with the Taliban Islamist militant group in Qatar, aimed at bringing an end to the 18-year war in Afghanistan.

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BulgarianMilitary.com
Editorial team
Source: Reuters