At least 40 people were killed and 60 others wounded after a suicide bomber attacked a gathering of senior clerics in Kabul on Tuesday, in one of the deadliest assaults to hit the Afghan capital in months.
The attack took place at a wedding hall used for political and religious events, where scholars and members of the Ulema Council had assembled to mark the Prophet Mohammad’s birthday. The publication date for this archive report is 20 November 2018.
Health ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said 60 people were injured. Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid confirmed the death toll and said: “The suicide bomber detonated himself inside the hall during a ceremony by religious schola,” while interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the number of dead or wounded was “more than 50” at the time of his statement.
A manager at Uranus Wedding Palace, which also hosts political and religious functions, said the bomber blew himself up in the middle of the gathering. Speaking anonymously to AFP, he said: “There are a lot of casualties -- I myself have counted 30 casualties.”
No one immediately claimed the blast, although the Islamic State group has claimed most recent suicide attacks in Kabul. The Afghan capital has become the deadliest place in the country for civilians.
The bombing was the bloodiest attack in Kabul since a twin blast at a wrestling club in September that killed at least 26 people. It also came after a wave of violence linked to last month’s parliamentary elections, which left hundreds killed or wounded across Afghanistan.
Religious scholars have been targeted before in the country. In June, a suicide bomber struck near a clerics’ gathering in Kabul about an hour after the group had declared such attacks a sin.
The attack also landed as the Taliban increased pressure on Afghan security forces and international efforts continued to push the group toward peace talks. US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said in Kabul on Sunday that a peace deal to end the 17-year war could be reached before the Afghan presidential election, scheduled for April.
His remarks reflected a growing sense of urgency in Washington and among American diplomats to secure an agreement quickly.
