At least five people were killed on Monday when a Taliban suicide car bomber struck near the entrance of Kabul’s international airport, the latest in a wave of lethal bombings in the Afghan capital.
The Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the blast, have stepped up attacks amid a bitter leadership transition following the announcement of the death of their leader Mullah Omar.
Observers say the upsurge in violence represents a bid by new leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour to distract attention from the crisis roiling the militant movement as planned peace talks falter.
“The incident took place when a suicide car bomber struck the front gate of the airport,” said Kabul police spokesman Ebadullah Karimi.
“Five civilians were killed and 16 others wounded including children,” he said, with the interior ministry confirming the toll. Smoke billowed from the scene of the explosion, which occurred during the busy lunchtime period.
An AFP photographer saw pieces of charred flesh littered around the checkpoint, where passengers undergo the first round of body checks before entering the airport. Ambulances rushed to the site and were seen removing bodies from the area, which was strewn with the twisted and mangled wreckage of burning vehicles.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said two vehicles belonging to foreign coalition forces were the target of the attack, claiming that all people aboard were killed. The Taliban are known to routinely exaggerate the impact of their attacks.
Afghan prez slams Pak for recent attacks
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani lambasted neighbouring Pakistan on Monday over a recent wave of insurgent attacks in the capital Kabul that killed at least 56 people. “The last few days have shown that suicide bomber training camps and bomb-producing factories which are killing our people are as active as before in Pakistan,” Ghani told a news conference. “We hoped for peace but we are receiving messages of war from Pakistan,” he added.