Photo -Pajhwok
KABUL
At least 95 people were killed and 150 others wounded when a powerful suicide blast in the Afghan capital on Saturday, officials said. Most of the casualties are civilians.
Baryali Helali, head of Afghanistan Government Media and Information Center (GMIC), talking to a press conference here, said the bodies of the 63 victims were shifted to the forensic center, reports Pajhwok news.
He said the injured were taken to Jamhuriat, Emergency, Wazir Akbar Khan and National Directorate of Securiyt (NDS) hospitals for treatment.
This is toll is not final and the number of casualties may change, he said.
Nasrat Rahimi, Interior Ministry spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News the explosion took place at a police checkpoint near the ministry’s old building, police headquarters and a High Peace Council office.
“The suicide bomber took the an ambulance full of explosives from the Jamhuriat Hospital park, he crossed the first police checkpoint of the Ministry of Interior but he was identified when reached to the second checkpoint and he blown up his explosives there,” he said.
He said four people were detained in connection of the incident.
The bombing came a week after the Taliban stormed the luxury Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul. More than 20 people including foreigners were killed in that incident.
Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, in an email confirmed the blast and claimed many police personnel were killed in the bombing.
President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Abdullah Abdullah strongly condemned the attack.
A statement from the Presidential Palace said, “With deep sorrow, terrorists once again repeated their unforgivable act by killing civilians including women and children, they martyred our people who were busy on their routine activities near Jamhuriat Hospital,”
“Enemies of Afghanistan should know that they are losers in this imposed war, the Afghan forces have a strong support from the people and international community more than ever before,” he said.
