KABUL, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Militants fighting the
Afghan government have been stepping up attacks on the administration through
deadly suicide attacks and roadside bombings to destabilize the administration
and discredit it.
In the latest wave of violence, the militia targeted
the Indian embassy with an explosive-laden car Monday morning, killing and
injuring more than 100 people.
Staff of the Indian embassy make their
way through the wreckages after a suicide car bomb attack in Kabul,
capital of Afghanistan, July 7, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
A suicide bomber followed one car belonging to the
Indian embassy and detonated his explosives-laden vehicle at some 8:30 a.m.
(0400 GMT) near the embassy gate, where many people were queuing to receive
visas, defense ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi said.
The blast occurred during rush-hour near a main road,
causing damage to nearby compound walls and roadside shops.
A witness, named Saleem Sayed, whose office is near
the Indian embassy told Xinhua that fortifications had been built three days ago
in front of the embassy gate as rumors said that the Indian embassy received
explosion threats.
Afghan security personnel keep watch at
the site of a suicide attack at the Indian embassy in Kabul July 7, 2008.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
The wounded man, who came out from the explosion
site, still bleeding, shouted desperately at the crowd, "My sister is killed,
what are the government and foreign troops doing in Afghanistan. They can barely
secure the capital, secure the lives of civilians."
In the deadliest attacks in the Afghan capital over
the past couple of years, more than 100 people have been confirmed dead and
injured, according to a statement of the Interior Ministry
The statement said that six police constables were
killed and five others sustained injuries while all the remaining are civilians,
including women and children.
An Afghan nurse reacts as she holds a
wounded girl who has lost her parents in suicide car bomb attack near the
Indian embassy in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, July 7, 2008. (Xinhua
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
However, Najib Nikzad, an official of the Interior
Ministry, earlier put the number of those killed as high as 41, while Abdullah
Fahim, the spokesman of the Public Health Ministry, said 28 were killed and 141
sustained injuries.
Indian Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee
condemned the "dastardly attack" on the Indian mission and confirmed four
Indians were killed in the attack, including Defense Attache Brigadier R.D.
Mehta and Press Counselor V. Venkat Rao.
An Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft will soon leave
for Kabul to bring back the bodies of the Indians, he added.
Two Indonesian diplomats were also injured in the car
bomb attack, said Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah.
The Indonesian embassy building in Kabul, which is
located near the Indian embassy, was severely damaged, he said.
No groups or individuals have claimed responsibility
for the bloody explosion, but the Interior Ministry blamed the attack on the
enemies of Afghanistan, a term used against Taliban insurgents.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister
Rangin Dadfar Spanta strongly condemned the incident and termed it as the act of
terrorism.
During talks with Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan
Jian Parsat, President Karzai strongly condemned the attack and expressed his
condolence with the people and government of India.
On his part, the Indian ambassador stressed that
"Such attacks could not undermine the friendly relations with Afghanistan,
rather than determines India to further cement its relations and cooperation
with the Afghan people."
Afghan Foreign Minister Spanta, who visited the
Indian embassy minutes after the attack, also denounced the gruesome act.
"The government of the Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan strongly condemns today's terrorist attack on the embassy of the
friendly and brother country of India," a statement released by Afghan foreign
ministry said.
It also added that such gruesome incidents will not
undermine the friendly relations between the two nations by saying, "Afghanistan
firmly believes that the historic ties between the two countries are more
profound that can be affected by such unfortunate incidents."
Kai Eide, special envoy of UN Secretary General to
Afghanistan, also strongly denounced the incident.
In a statement issued by UN Assistance Mission in
Afghanistan (UNAMA), the envoy said "I condemn it in the strongest possible
terms. In no culture, no country, and no religion is there any excuse or
justification for such acts. The total disregard for innocent lives is
staggering and those behind this must be held responsible."
Also on Monday, a roadside bomb struck a police van
in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, leaving three policemen dead and
wounding four others.
Insurgency has gained pace over the months and the
outgoing month saw the fiercest clashes this year between anti-government
elements and Afghan troops backed by international forces.
The Taliban, who went into insurgency after being
overthrown from power six and half years ago, have been expanding their
influence from the traditional bases in the south and east to the west and
north.
Militancy and conflicts have claimed the lives of
more than 2,000 people with some 700 civilians so far this year in
Afghanistan.
KABUL, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Both Afghanistan and the special
envoy of UN Secretary General to the war-torn country have termed the car-bomb
suicide attack against the Indian embassy on Monday an act of terrorism and
condemned it.
"The government of the Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan strongly condemns today's terrorist attack on the embassy of the
friendly and brother country of India," a statement released by the Afghan
foreign ministry said. Full story
KABUL, July 7 (Xinhua) -- An Afghan
health ministry spokesman said 28 people were killed and 141 others injured in
the suicide blast attack near the Indian embassy in the Afghan capital of Kabul
Monday morning.
Abdullah Fahim told Xinhua that out of the injured 90
were hospitalized and 10 were in critical conditions, adding the bomber himself
might be among the 28 killed ones. Full story
