11 killed, 25 wounded in Kabul suicide attack

Reuters / AFP |
A suicide attacker blew himself up near a crowd of police and protesters in Kabul, killing at least 11 people and wounding 25 others. In this photo, Afghan residents walk at the site of a bomb attack on a cultural center in Kabul on December 28, 2017. (AFP)
KABUL: At least 11 people were killed and 25 others wounded when a suicide attacker blew himself up near a crowd of police and protesters in Kabul on Thursday, officials said.
“We can confirm that so far 11 bodies have been brought to our hospitals as well as 25 wounded,” health ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh told AFP, adding that the toll could rise.
A attack caused casualties among security personnel who had been carrying out an operation against illegal drugs and alcohol deals, witnesses and police officials said.
As security forces arrived at the scene, a Reuters reporter saw four police vehicles carrying dead or wounded security personnel leaving the scene in an area of the city not far from the US Embassy and other foreign missions.
A security official at the scene confirmed the explosion had been caused by a suicide attack and Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said at least five police had been killed and 10 wounded but he said the number may change.
Police officers at the scene said the bomber had been wearing police or army uniform and had approached a group of security personnel near where the controls on illegal drugs and alcohol had been carried out, but there was no official confirmation.
“Kabul police forces were there to prevent a possible protest when a suicide bomber approached them and detonated his suicide vest,” Mujahid said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which happened days after a suicide bomber killed at least 41 people and wounded more than 80 at a Shiite cultural center in Kabul, underlining the precarious security situation in the Afghan capital.

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