Deadly suicide bombing engulfs rush-hour traffic on airport road near US embassy in Afghanistan’s capital

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A large blast has ripped through central Kabul as a suicide bomber targeted a foreign military convoy in the first major attack in the city for weeks.

The explosion occurred near the main entrance to the heavily fortified US embassy at about 8am during heavy rush-hour traffic. Three foreign troops were killed and five injured, said Isaf, the Nato-led military coalition in Afghanistan. Nationalities of the victims were not immediately given.

“It was a suicide car bomber targeting a foreign forces convoy along the airport road,” Farid Afzali, chief of the city’s police investigation department, told AFP.

The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility via a recognised Twitter account.

At the side of the road foreign troops gave first aid to injured people. At least one vehicle from the convoy was destroyed by the blast, which was also close to the supreme court and a military base.

It shook nearby buildings and set off sirens at the US embassy as emergency vehicles raced through the streets to the scene, which is one of the busiest intersections in the Afghan capital.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Foreign troops give first aid at the site of the Kabul attack. Photograph: Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images

A day earlier the two presidential candidates in Afghanistan’s disputed 14 June election held talks on ending the stalemate over who won the race to succeed Hamid Karzai, who has ruled since the fall of the Taliban.

The standoff has destabilised the country ahead of the withdrawal of most foreign troops by the end of the year.



Taliban insurgents have been exploiting the uncertainty, launching bombings and attacks on government officials across the country.

Material from Reuters and Agence France-Presse was used in this report