British diplomat among 5 killed in convoy bombing

KABUL (Pajhwok): A suicide bomber targeted a convoy of British Embassy cars east of Kabul City on Thursday, killing at least one British diplomat and four Afghan civilians and injuring more than 37 others, police said.

Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said at least one British diplomat was killed in the large explosion that damaged a convoy of foreign embassy cars on the Kabul-Jalalabad road.

Four Afghan civilians were killed and 33 others injured, including at least four children, in the blast near Pul-i-Charkhi area in the 9th district police zone.

Public Helath Ministry spokesman Kanishka Bektash Turkistani said the wounded included five children.

Kabul police chief Ayub Salangi twitted the attacker rammed his bomb-rigged car into a convoy of vehicles carrying foreigners, but gave no details about casualties.

He said the attack took place near Pul-i-Charkhi area on eastern outskirts of Kabul close to Qabalbai locality.

The British Embassy in Kabul confirmed the attack and said some people in the vehicle were wounded, without providing further details. “We can confirm that a British embassy vehicle has been attacked in Kabul. A number of staff have been injured,” a British foreign office spokeswoman said.

Najibullah, an eyewitness, said it was a powerful blast that shook the locality. The explosion, he said, had damaged some other vehicles as well. The area has many foreign compounds and international military installations.

The Taliban quickly claimed credit for the attack, with the group’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, saying the attacker targeted a British Embassy’s vehicle, killing and wounding several foreigners.

Kabul has come under almost daily attack as insurgents intensify their war on local security forces and US and NATO troops, who are set to officially conclude their combat role at the end of next month.

Lawmakers link the increasing attacks and insecurity to differences between the president and the chief executive officer over the formation of new Cabinet.

rm/ma

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