KABUL – At least 15 people were killed and dozens injured after a suicide bomber blew himself up next to a group of security officers in Kabul, Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry has said. The attack targeted an anti-drug raid close to the US Embassy.
Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said 20 people were “killed and wounded,” the local TOLO news agency put the number of fatalities at 15, citing the health ministry and Kabul police. It said at least 20 wounded people had been taken to a local hospital following the attack.
The attack reportedly occurred in Kabul’s PD9 district, located to the northeast of the area where foreign embassies are located.
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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack and ordered an investigation into the blast, a statement from the presidential office said.
Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, according to the terrorist group’s mouthpiece, Amaq. IS did not provide any proof to back up its claim.
The deadly assault comes a week after more than 40 people were killed and dozens more wounded in a suicide blast claimed by the Islamic State group that targeted Shia in Kabul.
The capital has become one of the deadliest places in war-torn Afghanistan for civilians in recent months, as the Taliban step up their attacks and IS seeks to expand its presence in the country.
