Massive Truck Bomb Kills at Least 90 in Kabul’s Embassy District

Hundreds Wounded, Death Toll Expected to Rise

Jason Ditz 

Posted onMay 31, 2017CategoriesNewsTagsAfghanistan

During rush hour Wednesday in Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul, a massive truck bomb was detonated in the middle of the highly secured diplomatic area, causing massive damage to several embassies in the area, killing at least 90 people and wounding over 400 others.

Officials say large numbers of the slain were Afghan civilians who worked at the embassies and other government offices in the area. The blast was so large it was felt as an earthquake across much of the city, and shattered windows as far as a mile away from the blast site.

Medical officials say that a lot of the wounded are severely so, and the death toll, which has already been rising throughout the day, is expected to further rise before all is said and done. This is rapidly becoming one of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan throughout the war.

The Taliban was quick to issue a statement both denying that they had anything to do with the attack, and condemned the attack in general as having targeted civilians without any clear military target. This inevitably raises speculation that ISIS, which is also active in Afghanistan, may have done so.

The investigation is still ongoing, particularly as to how they were able to sneak a sewage truck full of explosives into what is theoretically among the most secure parts of the city, Such security failures have been a recurring problem with Afghanistan.

The blast was timed to rush hour apparently to cause maximum casualties. It is also the first major such attack in Afghanistan during Ramadan this year. Ramadan tends to be a time in which Islamist factions carry out significant terrorist attacks.

http://news.antiwar.com/2017/05/31/massive-truck-bomb-kills-at-least-90-in-kabuls-embassy-district/