At least five dead after attack outside Afghan Foreign Ministry

At least five people were killed and several wounded in a bomb attack outside the Foreign Ministry in Kabul on Wednesday, Taliban government sources told EFE. The bomb attack took place at around 16:00 local time (11:30 GMT) on the access road to the Foreign Ministry, ministry spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takel told EFE.

As a result of the attack "five civilians died and several were wounded", the spokesman added, condemning the attack. Nisar Khan, an eyewitness, told EFE that there were about 15 bodies on the ground moments after the explosion, without indicating whether they were dead or wounded, and said the Taliban evacuated the area.

Post-blast images shared on social media show several dead bodies on the ground as several people in the vicinity come to their aid. Another video shows a large group of people gathered in front of the hospital where the wounded were taken, checking the names of the victims of the blast on a sheet of paper on the wall, according to local channel Tolo News.

The attack has not been claimed by any organisation, although it follows a series of attacks claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State, which operates in Afghanistan through its affiliate, ISIS-K or the Islamic State of Greater Khorasan. The fundamentalists have a strong rivalry with the terrorist formation, which emerged as one of the main security threats in Afghanistan following the Taliban's rise to power in August 2021.

Several people were killed on 1 January when a suicide bomber from the jihadist group entered the military zone of Kabul airport and blew himself up, although the Taliban government did not provide an official death toll. In view of the increase in attacks of this type claimed by Daesh, Afghan security forces have stepped up operations to dismantle the jihadist group's hideouts throughout the country.