• Residences of some Pakistani diplomats, staff damaged • Taliban ‘strongly condemn’ the blast

KABUL: At least 90 people were killed and hundreds wounded when a massive bomb ripped through Kabul’s diplomatic quarter on Wednesday, bringing carnage to the streets of the Afghan capital and blowing out windows several miles away.

Bodies littered the scene and a huge cloud of smoke rose from the highly-fortified area which houses foreign embassies, after the rush-hour attack tore a massive crater in the ground.

According to a Western diplomatic source, the explosion was caused by 1,500 kilograms of explosives packed inside a water tanker. A police spokesman, Basir Mujahid, said the explosives were hidden in a sewage truck.

The residences of some Pakistani diplomats and staff were also damaged in the attack, according to the Foreign Office in Islamabad.

Rescue workers were retrieving bodies from the rubble hours after the explosion as anguished residents struggled to get through security cordons to search for missing relatives. Dozens of damaged cars choked the roads as wounded survivors and panicked schoolgirls sought safety.

“In this powerful attack 90 people have been killed and 400 wounded, including many women and children,” said the government’s media centre, with the health ministry warning the toll would continue to climb as more bodies were pulled from the debris.

A least 11 US citizens working as contractors in Afghanistan were among the injured, a State Depart­ment spokesman said in Washington.

President Ashraf Ghani slammed the attack as a “war crime”.

The Taliban tweeted that they were not involved and “strongly condemn” the blast.

The sound of the bomb, which went off near the busy Zanbaq Square, reverberated across the city, with residents comparing it to an earthquake.

The victims appeared mainly Afghan civilians on their way to work or school, as well as office workers whose nearby buildings did not have the protection of the blast walls that fortify the high-security zone.

“The vigilance and courage of Afghan security forces prevented the VBIED (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) from gaining entry to the Green Zone, but the explosion caused civilian casualties,” Nato said in a statement. Afghan troops are backed by US and Nato forces and the Pentagon has reportedly asked the White House to send thousands more soldiers to break the deadlock in the battle against the Taliban.

The BBC said its Afghan driver Mohammed Nazir was killed and four journalists wounded. Local television channel Tolo TV also tweeted that a staff member, Aziz Navin, was killed.

The explosion damaged several embassies in the area, which houses diplomatic and government buildings and is a maze of concrete blast walls, vehicle barriers and armed security guards.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the “despicable” attack killed an Afghan guard from the country’s embassy and some employees had been injured.

He said the bomb had gone off “in the immediate vicinity” of the German embassy. The explosion tore off the front of the building.

France, India, Turkey, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria and China also reported damage to their embassies, including shattered windows.

At the Wazir Akbar Khan hospital a few blocks away from the blast, there were scenes of chaos as ambulances brought in wounded. Frantic relatives scanned casualty lists and questioned hospital staff for news.

“It felt like an earthquake,” said 21-year-old Mohammad Hassan, describing the moment the blast struck the bank where he was working. His head wound had been bandaged but blood still soaked his white dress shirt.

Another lightly wounded victim, Nabib Ahmad, 27, said there was widespread destruction and confusion. “I couldn’t think clearly, there was a mess everywhere,” he said.

Frenzy erupted outside the hospital as ambulances and police trucks began bringing in the bodies of those killed. Some were burned or mutilated beyond recognition.

Amnesty International said the attack underscored the fact that the conflict in Afghanistan was “dangerously widening in a way that should alarm the international community”.

Germany was forced to postpone a scheduled deportation flight of rejected Afghan asylum-seekers in the wake of the attack.

Condemnation

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa condemned the attack.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Kabul that also caused damage to the residences of some Pakistani diplomats and staff living in the close vicinity,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

“Pakistan being a victim of terrorism understands the pain and agony that such incidents inflict upon the people and society. The people and government of Pakistan extend their heartfelt sympathies and deepest condolences to the government and the people of Afghanistan and the bereaved families.”

According to a press release issued by the ISPR, the military’s public relations wing, the army chief said: “We stand with Afghan brothers and security forces in the fight against terrorism and militancy.”

While this was one of the worst bombings in Kabul, the militant Islamic State group has previously claimed responsibility for high-profile attacks in the city, including one on a military hospital in March that killed more than 50 people.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2017