Kabul: at least 80 killed by massive car bomb in diplomatic quarter

[mrclose]

One heck of a bomb!

Scores of civilians have been killed after a massive explosion in a highly secure diplomatic area of Kabul left at least 80 people dead and wounded more than 360, the Afghan public health ministry has said.

The attack is the deadliest in the Afghan capital since an Isis suicide bomber killed nearly 100 people at a protest last summer, and one of the largest to hit Kabul since the 2001 intervention.

The huge blast occurred close to the German embassy in the Wazir Akbar Khan area of the capital on Wednesday morning, sending clouds of black smoke spiralling into the sky near the presidential palace and foreign embassies. Meanwhile, the vast majority of casualties are expected to be civilians.

It took place at the peak of Kabul’s rush-hour when the streets were packed with commuters and just days into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/31/huge-explosion-kabul-presidential-palace-afghanistan

[rangerrebew]

It couldn't have been Muslim terrorists so it must have been Druid terrorists.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Americans among injured : 11 Americans injured in car bomb blast that killed more than 80 in Afghanista
At least 11 U.S. citizens were among the hundreds injured when a car bomb detonated inside Kabul’s diplomatic district Wednesday. No Americans are known to have been among the dead.(Fox)

[Restored]

NPR was reporting that Britain was halting deporting Afghans because there was terrorism at home.

Seems to me that is a reason to deport them.

[TomSea]

Afghans Demand Answers After Kabul Hit By Deadliest Attack Since 2001

How did a sewage tank truck packed with explosives penetrate a heavily fortified area of the Afghan capital and carry out the deadliest attack in Kabul since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001?

That is the question angry Afghans want the government to answer, and provide some explanation for the security lapse that resulted in the deaths of at least 90 people and more than 400 wounded.

The May 31 explosion, whose casualties were mainly civilians, including women and children, occurred during the morning rush hour in the district known unofficially as the Green Zone, home to foreign embassies, NATO's headquarters, and the presidential palace

A number of Kabul residents have accused the national-unity government of a major security and intelligence blunder. That has added to mounting pressure on the deeply divided and unpopular government of President Ashraf Ghani, which has faced criticism for its handling of the growing Taliban insurgency.

Read more: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-blast-public-demand-answers-latest-security-failure/28521325.html