At least 12 people were killed and 66 others wounded in a
suicide attack in Afghanistan's capital Saturday, the spokesman for Kabul's
police chief said.
Three American
contractors with the NATO-led Resolute Support mission were killed, two of them
as a result of their wounds, in what the mission described as an attack on
their convoy from a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.
The police chief
spokesman, Ebadullah Karimi, said the bomber blew up his explosives-laden
Toyota Corolla in the Macrorayan area of Kabul on Saturday afternoon. The
convoy of contractors and Afghan civilians was the target, he said.
The explosion jolted
central Kabul and broke the windows of dozens of nearby apartments, Karimi
said.
It happened during the afternoon rush hour in front of a private
health clinic where dozens of people gather daily to see doctors.
Taliban spokesman
Zabiullah Mujahid, in an email to media, said the explosion was not the work of
the Taliban.
At least one
woman was among the dead. Five women and six children were wounded, said
Wahidullah Mayar, a spokesman for the Afghan Health Ministry.
The U.S. Embassy
in Kabul issued a statement strongly condemning the attack.
"Our
thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families who suffered as a
result of this attack," the statement said. "The United States
remains committed to assisting our Afghan partners in their efforts to ensure a
peaceful future for Afghanistan."
Last week, a
suicide bomber detonated his car at a checkpoint near the entrance to Kabul
International Airport, killing four people and wounding 15 others, Afghan
officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility.
On August 10, three separate attacks in Kabul killed more than 50 people, including
27 students at a police academy and one U.S. service member. The Taliban
claimed responsibility for two of the attacks.
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