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Suicide Bomber Attacks British Embassy Vehicle in Kabul British Embassy Vehicle Among Targets in 2 Kabul Attacks
(about 3 hours later)
KABUL, Afghanistan — A​t least five people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a British Embassy vehicle in Kabul on Thursday morning, and another explosion and gunfire could be heard Thursday evening in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood, where many foreign embassies are located. The attacks were the latest in an escalating bombing campaign in Afghanistan’s capital, the authorities said. KABUL, Afghanistan — A dramatic increase of Taliban violence in Afghanistan’s capital in recent weeks culminated in two attacks on Thursday.
Hashmatullah Stanikzai, a spokesman for the Kabul police, said that four Afghans and a Briton had been killed in the suicide bombing, and that 33 people had been wounded, including four children​. British Embassy personnel were among the wounded, a spokesman for the embassy said. In the morning, a suicide attacker detonated a car full of explosives near a British Embassy vehicle, killing five people and wounding more than 30 on Jalalabad Road, in the east of the city.
Rohullah, a senior police official in the district where the morning attack occurred, who like many Afghans uses only one name, said the bomber had been in a car laden with explosives, which he detonated near the embassy vehicle. Later in the day, an explosion was heard in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood, where many foreign embassies are located. There were sporadic bursts of gunfire through the night as security forces hunted the three insurgents who had attacked a building in the area, said a spokesman for the Kabul police, Hashmatullah Stanikzai.
Zareef Khan, a shopkeeper near the scene of the attack, said he had seen many children among the wounded. “All I could see were the dead and wounded showered in their blood, shouting and asking for help,” he said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for both attacks, the latest in a series of bombings in Kabul over the past few weeks. On Monday, a bomb hidden in the median strip of a road was detonated as a convoy of coalition soldiers passed, leaving two dead.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series of bombings in Kabul over the past few weeks. On Monday, a bomb hidden in the median strip of a road was detonated as a convoy of coalition soldiers passed, leaving two dead. The Kabul police chief and a prominent women’s rights leader were also targeted in recent attacks, but both survived. The Kabul police chief and a prominent women’s rights leader were also targeted in suicide attacks this month. Both survived.
The attack Thursday evening began about 7:30 p.m. in neighborhood of Kabul where many foreign embassies and international news organizations are located. A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Twitter that a “group of their suicide attackers attacked an enemy.” The increase in violence in Kabul occurs as the new Afghan government under President Ashraf Ghani begins to assert its control, and most foreign troops are leaving the country.
The insurgents stormed a building in the neighborhood near the location of a private aid contractor, International Relief and Development, Mr. Stanikzai said. Two were shot and killed shortly after 9 p.m. One was still at large, probably hiding in the same neighborhood, where the police were looking for him, Mr. Stanikzai said. Mr. Ghani signed a security pact with the United States in September, something that his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, refused to do.
The increase in violence in Kabul has occurred as the new Afghan government under President Ashraf Ghani begins to assert its control, and most foreign troops are leaving the country.
Military analysts and Afghan politicians have said that the Taliban’s escalation is a response to the decision of Mr. Ghani to sign a security pact with the United States, something that his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, who left office in September, refused to do.
“The Taliban had warned if the B.S.A. is signed by the government, they will continue their struggle and war,” said Atiqullah Amarkhel, a former general in the Afghan Army and Air Force, referring to the bilateral security agreement signed in September.“The Taliban had warned if the B.S.A. is signed by the government, they will continue their struggle and war,” said Atiqullah Amarkhel, a former general in the Afghan Army and Air Force, referring to the bilateral security agreement signed in September.
That agreement comes as the United States draws down the number of troops it has in the country after 13 years of war. Most of the American military personnel who will remain — about 9,800 by the end of the year, plus at least 2,000 NATO troops — will train and assist Afghan forces, although the United States will continue to provide air support and some special operation forces are expected to continue counterterrorism operations. That agreement comes as the United States draws down the number of troops it has in the country after 13 years of war. Most of the American military personnel who will remain — about 9,800 by the end of the year, plus at least 2,000 NATO troops — will train and assist Afghan forces, although the United States will continue to provide air support, and some Special Operations forces are expected to continue counterterrorism missions.
Some Afghans have said they are dismayed that since the pact was signed, security in the capital city had declined. Some Afghans have said they are dismayed that since the pact was signed, security in the capital city had declined. “People believed when they signed the B.S.A., they would have peace of mind and a strong partner,” said Shukria Barakzai, a member of the Afghan Parliament and the women’s rights leader who was injured in an attack against her vehicle almost two weeks ago. “But it seems to me it’s going to be a daily, these bombs,” she said, speaking by telephone from a hospital, where she is still being treated for burns to her head and hands.
“People believed when they signed the B.S.A., they would have peace of mind and a strong partner,” said Shukria Barakzai, a member of the Afghan Parliament and the women’s rights leader who was injured in an attack against her vehicle almost two weeks ago. “But it seems to me it’s going to be a daily, these bombs,” she said, speaking from a hospital, where she is still being treated for burns to her head and hands.
Even as violence has increased in Kabul, the provinces still bear the overwhelming brunt of attacks. On Sunday, more than 60 people were killed, many children, in remote Paktika Province, in the country’s southeast, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a volleyball tournament.Even as violence has increased in Kabul, the provinces still bear the overwhelming brunt of attacks. On Sunday, more than 60 people were killed, many children, in remote Paktika Province, in the country’s southeast, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a volleyball tournament.
The Taliban spokesman, Mr. Mujahid, said that a resident of Kandahar Province carried out Thursday’s suicide attack in Kabul. The authorities said a car laden with explosives had detonated as its driver neared the British embassy’s vehicle, on Jalalabad Road. In the attack Thursday morning, the dead included a British security officer and an Afghan employee of the British Embassy. There were no diplomats riding in the embassy vehicle.
“All were working in Kabul to help the Afghan people build a better future for themselves,” said the British ambassador, Richard Stagg. “They were committed, in their different roles, to helping Afghanistan finally to enjoy peace and security — of which it has been deprived for far too long.” Mr. Stanikzai, the Kabul police spokesman, said that three other Afghans also died in the attack and that the wounded included four children.
The attack Thursday evening began about 7:30 p.m. in an area full of embassies, international organizations and heavy security. A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Twitter that a “group of their suicide attackers attacked an enemy.”
By midnight details of the attack were still murky, but three insurgents were believed to have stormed a building in the neighborhood near the location of a private aid contractor, International Relief and Development, Mr. Stanikzai said. Two were shot and killed around 9 p.m., the police said, and after midnight, security forces shot the third attacker. His condition was unknown.
The police said that at least one foreign national was wounded in the attack Thursday night.