Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Tom Embury-Dennis

Kabul attack: At least seven dead in suicide bomb blast at security checkpoint in Afghan capital

A suicide bomber has blown himself up in the Afghan capital Kabul, killing at least seven people, according to officials. 

The attack was apparently intended to hit crowds gathered to commemorate the death of Abdul Ali Mazari, a political leader from the mainly Shiite Hazara minority. 

One policeman and six civilians were killed, while another seven were wounded when the bomber was stopped at a security checkpoint, a deputy interior spokesperson said.

Nasrat Rahimi said the bomber appeared to have intended to attack crowds gathered to remember Mazari, a Hazara political leader killed by the Taliban in 1995.

A string of attacks on Shiite mosques and Hazara gatherings has been claimed by an affiliate of Isis, although many Afghan and Western security officials say they doubt the group works alone.

In December, dozens of people were killed in a suicide attack on a Shiite cultural centre claimed by Isis and two months earlier two separate mosque attacks killed at least 72 people.

The attack came less than two weeks after President Ashraf Ghani called on the Taliban to join peace talks to end more than 16 years of the latest phase of Afghan war.

Additional reporting by Reuters

 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.