KABUL — A suicide bomber struck Monday near
the
Russian embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul, killing two staff from the
diplomatic mission and four others.
اضافة اعلان
In the first attack targeting a foreign mission
since the Taliban seized power in August last year, the bomber struck near the
entrance of the embassy’s consular section.
“Without any doubt, we are talking about a terrorist
act, which is absolutely unacceptable,” Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov told
journalists in Moscow.
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry confirmed the deaths
of two embassy staff.
Four Afghans
waiting for consular services were also killed and several more wounded, Kabul
police said.
As with other recent attacks, heavy Taliban security
quickly sealed off the area and prevented media from filming nearby.
No group has so far claimed the attack on the
diplomatic mission.
Violence in Afghanistan has largely declined since
the Taliban returned to power, but several bomb blasts — some targeting
minority communities — have rocked the country in recent months, many claimed
by Daesh.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said
immediate steps were taken to boost security at the embassy, located on one of
Kabul’s main roads and leading to the parliament building.
Intelligence ‘weakness’
The attack is sure to
embarrass the Taliban leadership, which for months has encouraged foreign
nations to reopen their Kabul missions, insisting security was guaranteed.
During the chaotic takeover of the country by the
Taliban last year, the Russian embassy was one of the few to remain open as
most nations shut down and evacuated staff.
The Afghan foreign ministry said an investigation
had been launched and authorities “will not allow the enemies to sabotage
relations between both countries with such negative actions”.
Afghan security analyst Hekmatullah Hekmat said the
attack showed the government’s “weakness” in gathering intelligence.
“If they can’t prevent such attacks in the heart of
Kabul, then they can’t provide security in the countryside,” he told AFP.
The UN mission in
Afghanistan condemned the bombing.
“UNAMA stresses the need for the de facto
authorities to take steps to ensure the safety and security of the people as
well as diplomatic missions,” it tweeted.
On Friday, a suicide bomber struck one of western
Afghanistan’s biggest mosques, killing at least 18 people, including its
influential pro-Taliban imam. The cleric, Mujib ur Rahman Ansari, who had
called for those who committed even the “smallest act” against the government
to be beheaded, was killed in that attack in the city of Herat.
The attack against Ansari came despite authorities
providing him with heavy security, including a bulletproof vehicle and
bodyguards.
Several mosques across the country have been
targeted this year, some in attacks claimed by Daesh.
At least 21 people were killed and dozens more
wounded on August 17 when a blast ripped through a mosque packed with
worshippers in Kabul.
Daesh has primarily targeted minority communities
such as Shiites, Sufis, and Sikhs.
Taliban officials claim that Daesh has been defeated
but experts say the group is the main security challenge for the country’s
current Islamist rulers.
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