CNN
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At least five people were killed in an explosion near the Afghan Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, according to Kabul police. This is the latest sign that the security situation in the country’s capital is deteriorating.
Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran wrote on Twitter that five civilians were “martyrs and many others injured”, adding that the perpetrators would be found and punished.
Zadran said the explosion occurred at Zambak Square in Kabul’s diplomatic district around 4 pm local time. Several countries have embassies in the region, including Turkey, India and China.
Zadran did not disclose the number of injured, but a humanitarian emergency has occurred. Said The company’s surgery center in Kabul had received more than 40 patients after the explosion.
“This is the first mass casualty of 2023, but certainly one of the highest since the beginning of 2022. We have also installed beds in the kitchen and dining room,” the statement said.
ISIS’s local branch, ISIS-K, claimed responsibility for the blast, which it described as a suicide attack.
Without providing any evidence, ISIS’ Amaq news agency said the attack killed 20 people after ISIS-K militants detonated an explosive belt in the middle of a crowd of workers near the minister’s main gate. CNN cannot independently verify the claims.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack. statement Wednesday.
“Rising unrest is a serious concern. Violence is not part of the solution to bring lasting peace to Afghanistan,” he wrote on Twitter.
Since the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021, multiple attacks have claimed dozens of lives in Kabul.
Last September, a suicide bomber attacked an education center in Kabul, killing at least 25 people, mostly young women.
Earlier that month, a suicide bombing near the Russian embassy killed six people, including two Russian embassy employees.
In August an explosion at a mosque during evening prayers killed 21 people and injured 33 others.
