Death toll in Kabul attack rises to 90. Still no claims

The Taliban deny their involvement. Afghan intelligence believe it could be the Haqqani group. Bodies still extracted from debris. Kabul has the highest number of victims in the first three months of 2017.


Kabul (AsiaNews / Agencies) – The casualties from the explosion in Kabul yesterday morning have risen to 90 while there is still no confirmation of the authors. The number of wounded is now 400. According to the Minister of Health, the toll is expected to rise further, while bodies are extracted from the debris. Most of the victims are Afghan civilians. Some foreigners were injured.

The explosion caused a deep crater of about five meters. The explosive was hidden inside a tank truck used to clean the sewerage system.

An Afghan Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, denied their involvement, asserting that the group condemns any type of attack that hits civilians.

However, the Afghan intelligence National Security Directorate, seems to believe the attack is the work of the Islamic group Haqqani, a Taliban network also present in Pakistan.

There has been no claim from the Islamic State, responsible for several attacks this year, including one in March at the military hospital where more than 50 people died.

The explosion is the latest in a series of terrorist acts that have hit the Afghan capital. In the country, the province of Kabul recorded the highest number of victims in the first three months of 2017.