British G4S guard killed in attack on Afghanistan embassy vehicle
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Version 0 of 1. 1.56pm GMT13:56 The Guardian latest news story on today’s blast wraps up all the main developments, so we are going to bring this blog to a close. 1.44pm GMT13:44 Both the dead security and his injured colleague were employed by G4S. The company’s statement in full says: At 10.20am local time this morning in Kabul a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated targeting a British Embassy vehicle moving through the city. A local member of the embassy staff and an expatriate G4S security team member were both killed in the explosion. A second British member of the G4S security team was injured. An investigation into the incident is under way and therefore we are unable to comment further at this time. Next of kin have been informed and we will continue to provide them with support. Our thoughts and most heartfelt condolences are with the families, friends and colleagues of those involved in this tragic incident. Updated at 1.51pm GMT 1.38pm GMT13:38 The British security guard who was killed, was from the private security firm G4S, Reuters reports. It quotes a company spokesman saying: Next of kin have been informed and we will continue to provide them with support. Our thoughts and most heartfelt condolences are with the families, friends and colleagues of those involved in this tragic incident. 1.32pm GMT13:32 Summary Here’s a summary of what we know about today’s attack. 1.12pm GMT13:12 Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has paid tribute to those killed and injured in today’s UK embassy attack in Afghanistan. In a regular statement updating the House of Commons on the latest situation in Afghanistan, Fallon said today’s killings were “a tragic reminder that there are some who still seek to undermine the progress that has been made towards peace and security in that country”. Replying to question from shadow defence secretary Vernon Coaker, Fallon said he could give no more details of the attack. “This was only a few hours ago. I can confirm that sadly two British embassy staff have been killed. I believe a number of others were killed and injured.” 1.00pm GMT13:00 AP follows AFP in putting the death toll at six. It counts the suicide bomber as one of the six who died. Police said that a car packed with explosives rammed the heavily armoured British embassy vehicle, exploding on impact and sending a huge plume of dust and smoke into the air. The midmorning attack happened on the traffic-choked road between Kabul and Jalalabad city. Witnesses said at least a dozen civilian cars were damaged by the blast, and the road was strewn with smouldering debris from the British vehicle. Video footage showed the roof of the embassy jeep had been blown off and flung about 15 meters (50 feet) along the road, an indication that it was a powerful blast, as the vehicles are built to withstand substantial impact. Thursday’s attack is the first on a diplomatic target in Kabul for some time, as most embassies are secured behind high concrete blast walls with razor wire and guards with automatic weapons. 12.21pm GMT12:21 Here’s Hammond’s statement in full: This morning a British Embassy vehicle was attacked in the Afghan capital, Kabul. I am deeply saddened to confirm that a British national civilian security team member and an Afghan national working for the Embassy were killed in the incident. A second British member of the security team was injured. I condemn this appalling attack on innocent civilians supporting our diplomatic activity. The families of the victims have been informed and my thoughts are with them. The Foreign Office will do everything it can to support them. This outrage brings home to us once again the courage and perseverance of the people of Afghanistan and members of the international community who support them, who have lived together through decades of conflict. We will not allow such inhumanity to deter us from continuing our partnership with the Government of Afghanistan. I have nothing but admiration for the staff of the Embassy, British and Afghan, who work at great personal risk to help build a better future for Afghanistan. 12.19pm GMT12:19 Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the attack underlined the bravery of those who serve in Afghanistan. Attack in #Kabul brings home again the courage of Afghan people + members of international community who support them @UKinAfghanistan Condemn appalling attack on civilians supporting UK diplomatic activity in #Afghanistan. My thoughts are with the victims + their families 12.17pm GMT12:17 The British citizen was a member of the embassy’s security team, according to Channel 4 News. Foreign Office confirms death of Brit civilian security team member + Afghan working for embassy in Kabul suicide attack. 2nd Brit injured. 12.14pm GMT12:14 British citizen confirmed dead One British national and one Afghan working for the embassy were killed during an attack on a vehicle in Kabul this morning, UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond has confirmed. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond 'deeply saddened' by deaths of two people, including a Briton, in attack on Kabul embassy Updated at 12.32pm GMT 12.13pm GMT12:13 Downing Street has defended the UK’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan as it condemned the “appalling attack” on a British embassy car in Kabul, writes Rowena Mason. The prime minister’s official spokesman said David Cameron’s view has not changed that it was right for the UK to leave Afghanistan after reports coming out of the country suggested one British national has died. No details about UK casualties have been confirmed by the Foreign Office or Downing Street but Cameron’s spokesman said: “What I would say on his behalf is to condemn the appalling attack and to associate the prime minister entirely with the sadness about the fact British embassy staff have been involved in that attack. We will be working very closely with the Afghan authorities to establish all the facts and details related to the incident.” He said the UK had accomplished its objective in Afghanistan to free the country of training camps that were a haven for terrorists. “The right way going forward is to have a stable Afghan government that represents its people and I believe you see that in the recent round of Afghanistan presidential elections,” the spokesman said. Updated at 12.37pm GMT 12.07pm GMT12:07 Haji Azam had been mending shoes on Jalalabad Road when the bomb went off, the Guardian’s May Jeong reports from Kabul. He suffered brain injuries and died later in hospital, Azam’s cousin a former interpreter to British forces told May after shovelling the remains of some of the victims from the scene of the blast. This was the second time the family had suffered losses from a Taliban attack, May was told at the Azam’s home. Two years ago two men had been killed in another bomb attack in the area. May described the awkwardness of knowing Azam’s fate before the female members of the family were told. “There was not a lot of room for small talk in that instance ... Haji Azam’s elderly mother kept saying ‘I know something is wrong’. And of course a mother’s intuition is always correct.” The extent of the casualties from the blast may never be know, May said. The number of those killed is expected to rise, she said. The British embassy is not confirming the nationalities of those killed until next of kin have been informed. May added: “My understanding is that the ambassador and diplomatic corps hasn’t been affected by today’s attack. But the situation is developing so that may change.” She said the attack could have been a Taliban message to next week’s Afghanistan in London, but equally it could have been an opportunistic attack. Updated at 12.34pm GMT 11.27am GMT11:27 Next week London hosts an international summit on Afghanistan’s future to mark the end of the Nato-led combat mission. The Guardian’s Jason Burke reckons today’s attack was the Taliban’s violent message to the summit. attack in Kabul must surely be a bid to make a point before London conference on #Afghanistan next week. classic taliban #kabul #attack classic insurgent tactic, aimed at multiple audiences. some local, some not. one is UK taxpayer, clearly. #kabul #attack Updated at 11.28am GMT 11.18am GMT11:18 A cobbler named Haji Azam was one of the victims of the attack, according to the Guardian’s May Jeong. Writing on Instagram she describes visiting his family. Updated at 12.35pm GMT 11.06am GMT11:06 AFP: six people killed The death toll has climbed to six people, according to AFP. It said one British citizen and at least five Afghans were killed in the suicide attack. It added that five children were among more than 30 bystanders injured in the blast, citing officials. The embassy’s 4x4 vehicle was thrown onto its side, with the roof blown off and fittings scattered across the road. The explosion could be heard across Kabul and a plume of smoke rose above the site of the blast on the Jalalabad road, a main route that houses many foreign compounds and military facilities. Immediately after the blast, an AFP reporter saw one badly-shaken foreign passenger talking to Afghan police, asking after his wounded colleagues. A policeman at the scene said one Afghan in the British vehicle had suffered a serious arm injury, and that passengers covered in blood had been taken to hospital. “One British national was killed in today’s attack,” police spokesman Hashmat Stanakzai said in an emailed press statement. Kenishka Turkistani, spokesman for the ministry of public health, said five bystanders were killed and 34 wounded in the attack. “They are all Afghan civilians, the wounded include five children. We don’t record foreign casualties,” Turkistani said. 10.56am GMT10:56 The Guardian’s Kabul reporter May Jeong has arrived at the scene of the blast and posts this bloody image of the aftermath. Updated at 10.58am GMT 10.51am GMT10:51 Richard Stagg, the British ambassador in Afghanistan, was at a televised meeting and not in the vehicle when it was hit, AFP has reported. A Foreign Office source confirmed that Stagg was not in the convoy. It is understood that two embassy staff were killed, one was British and the other was an Afghani employed by the embassy. “We can confirm that a British embassy vehicle has been attacked in Kabul. A number of staff have been injured,” a British Foreign Office spokeswoman said. Updated at 12.36pm GMT 10.37am GMT10:37 Kabul-based journalist Mustafa Deveci said the British embassy vehicle was the target of the attack. Speaking from Kabul after witnessing the scene 20 minutes after the blast, he said: “I saw five or six civilian cars fully damaged. And lots of damage to the shops. This is the road between Jalalabad and Kabul. Some said it was a motorbike explosion. But I saw on the ground that it was a suicide car bomb attack, because I saw the engine of the suicide bomb car. I saw the British embassy vehicle, it was fully damaged. The Taliban took responsibility and they said the target was the British embassy car, and we saw that. The British embassy car was collapsed. So far only the Interior Ministry has confirmed that a British citizen was among five people killed, Deveci said. He added: This is road is very dangerous. Lots of foreign bases are located there ... In the last two weeks, nine suicide attacks took place in Kabul. It is a serious security trap for Afghan people and foreigners in Afghanistan. Updated at 12.36pm GMT 10.23am GMT10:23 The British embassy in Kabul confirmed there were injuries among those in the vehicle, but did not comment on the reported death, Reuters reports. “I can confirm it was a British vehicle and there are some injuries. We are working with the Afghan authorities,” said the spokesman, who asked not to be identified. A Western security source said one of the British employees travelling in the vehicle had died in hospital, while a second Briton was wounded and in stable condition. A Reuters witness saw at least one survivor being led away from the charred shell of the vehicle on foot by a member of the British security force. The interior ministry initially reported the blast was caused by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle, but later said attacker was travelling by car. 9.58am GMT09:58 AFP photographer Shah Marai describes arriving at the scene of the blast where he saw one British man with a minor facial wound. Speaking on a bad phone line from Kabul, Marai said: I was sitting in the office when I heard the bang. When I arrived I could see one civilian being carried by a police 4x4. I saw a lot of damage. I didn’t see any people killed. I saw a little boy at the site of the explosion who was wounded. I saw a British employee who was bleeding a little You could see some bleeding to his face, he was talking on a walkie talkie to his colleague. I didn’t any British dead bodies Almost every day we have attacks like this. This one was a big one. When I arrived you could see a lot of civilian vehicles had been damaged. 9.31am GMT09:31 The Foreign Office cannot confirm Afghan interior ministry’s report that a British citizen is among the dead. For the moment it is sticking to its earlier line. A spokesman said: “We are working closely with the Afghan authorities to establish details of the incident.” More details are expected soon. 9.14am GMT09:14 The Afghan Interior Ministry has confirmed that one British citizen was among five people killed in the attack on the vehicle. The other four killed in the blast were Afghans, the statement said. The explosion wounded 33 people. 9.12am GMT09:12 One British citizen killed One British citizen was killed in the attack, Reuters reports citing the Interior Ministry. It did not elaborate. 9.10am GMT09:10 A senior official at the Foreign Office says it is still trying to establish the full facts following the “shocking news” of the attack. Simon Fraser, the FCO’s permanent under-secretary, tweeted that his “thoughts [are] with all our people” in Afghanistan. Shocking news from #Kabul of attack on British Embassy vehicle. Working to get full facts. Thoughts with all our people @UKinAfghanistan. Britain’s ambassador in Jordan Peter Millett expressed similar sentiments. Attack on UK Emb'y car in #Kabul. Hope colleagues are OK. Special thoughts for innocent Afghans killed by extremists. http://t.co/KoLWxB9KCm 8.53am GMT08:53 The casualty figures are difficult to establish. The British embassy in the Afghan capital has confirmed that at least one of their vehicles had been attacked and four people had been hurt, Jason Burke reports. According to one report, a foreign national and a translator died in a bomb blast, he writes. 8.49am GMT08:49 Reuters has video of the damage caused to vehicles on the Jalalabad Road where the attack took place. 8.44am GMT08:44 Official says five killed A Public Health Ministry spokesperson said five people have been killed and 54 injured, writes the Guardian’s Kabul-based stringer Sune Engel Rasmussen. The threat level in Kabul has been higher than usual over the past weeks. Intelligence officials have warned against an increased kidnapping threat against foreigners in Kabul and some eastern provinces. A few weeks ago, there were several rocket attacks against the Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood of Kabul, where most embassies and larger NGO’s reside, though nobody was killed in the rocket attacks. On Tuesday, an explosion went off in the same neighbourhood, presumably from a grenade, without causing casualties. In the past week, as the Afghan parliament was discussing the security agreements signed by the government, the US and Nato in September, Kabul also saw a heightened security level, with increased number of checkpoints and slow moving traffic. 8.40am GMT08:40 AFP Photographer Shah Marai, who heard the blast, has a series of photographs from the aftermath of the attack on the vehicles. A shoe belonging to a man killed in a suicide attack is pictured at the scene along Jalalabad road in #Kabul @AFP pic.twitter.com/NwVszFk928 8.19am GMT08:19 Reports on the death toll vary. Reuters says at least three people were killed. A Reuters witness saw at least three bodies from the blast in a nearby hospital, but their nationalities were unclear. Officials would not confirm any deaths on the record, though they said several bystanders were wounded. “I can confirm it was a British vehicle and there are some injuries. We are working with the Afghan authorities,” said the spokesman, who asked not to be identified. General Ayoub Salangi, the Afghan deputy interior minister, said the bomber was riding a motorcycle. The blast wounded 33 Afghan bystanders and destroyed three cars, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a text message that a suicide bomber “targeted foreign invading forces” and many were killed and wounded. 8.13am GMT08:13 Five people were killed in the attack, including two foreigners, according to an unconfirmed tweet by Ahmad Shakib, a New York Times reporter based in Kabul. Shakib also has pictures of the aftermath of the attack. At the scene of yakatoot area #Kabul where a suicide bomber killed at least 5 and wounded more than 40 civilian pic.twitter.com/gDZ3e7CFmK “@courtneybody here is the close up shot of the SUV pic.twitter.com/REjUXE4HZR 8.06am GMT08:06 Summary Welcome to live coverage of the aftermath of a suicide bomb attack on a British embassy vehicle in the Afghan capital Kabul. Here’s what we know so far. |