Indian Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Kabul remained safe
A powerful car bomb exploded in diplomatic area Afghanistan’s capital city killed at least 80 people and more than 350 were wounded.
The bomb went off at about 08:25 local time during rush hour at the diplomatic neighborhood. The blast burned out more than 50 vehicles along with demolishing surrounding buildings.
Basir Mujahid a spokesman for Kabul police, told Reuters news agency the explosion had taken place close to the German embassy but added it was “hard to say what the exact target is”.
There are many other key buildings in the area, including the presidential palace and a number of embassies, including the British and German embassy.
The Afghan ministry of foreign affairs also slammed the attack and said that by creating such carnage, the perpetrators will not reach their “ugly goals”.
The Japanese Embassy also confirmed two of its employees had been wounded, and heavy damage was sustained by the nearby British, Turkish and Chinese embassies as well as the AFP news agency’s offices.
Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted: “By God’s grace, Indian Embassy staff is safe in the massive Kabul blast.”
“The attack took place very close to the German embassy. It hit civilians and those who are in Afghanistan to work for a better future for the country with the people there. It’s especially contemptible that these people were the target,” German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Twitter.
The U.S ambassador Hugo Llorens said in a statement: “The terrorists, and those who provide them support in any form, deserve the utter scorn of all civilized people around the world.”
The BBC has said that Mohammed Nazir, a driver for the corporation’s Afghan service, died in the explosion.
Meanwhile, Taliban denies responsibility for one of the biggest attacks. After disowned from Afghan Taliban, it’s more likely to be associated with ISIS involvement.
Afghanistan as a whole has seen of a wave increasing violence in the past 12 months as both Taliban and Isis militants struggle to overthrow the government and impose Islamic law.