Bomb rocks India's Kabul embassy
People queue for visas outside the Indian embassy every day
A suicide bomber has rammed a car full of explosives into the gates of the Indian embassy in the Afghan capital, killing 28 people, officials say. A spokesman for the health ministry said 141 people were injured, including civilians and security forces. The attack is one of the deadliest - after a relatively quiet period in Kabul.
The Taleban have vowed to step up their attacks on the capital. There has been a sharp increase in violence, mainly in the south and east. Glass falling Smoke was seen rising from the scene of the blast as police cordoned off the area. Ambulances were carrying away wounded from the scene.
People were also queuing for visas at the time. "I couldn't feel anything," Abdul Raziq, who was distributing newspapers at the time, told the BBC. "I saw glass falling down from buildings, before the area was crowded with ambulances, police and forces of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf)", Mr Raziq said.
Ali Hassan Fahimi said shrapnel had landed into his office, which is close to the site of the blast. "It was so strong... and our staff got shocked," he said. Two embassy vehicles entering at the time were damaged, reports say. It is not clear if any of the occupants were killed. Reports said two Indian guards were feared to be dead.
India has close relations with Afghanistan. It has been funding a number of large infrastructure projects, correspondents say. Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta visited the Indian embassy shortly after the attack, his spokesman Sultan Ahmed Baheen said. "India and Afghanistan have a deep relationship between each other. Such attacks of the enemy will not harm our relations," Mr Spanta told the personnel at the embassy, the spokesman said.
Mr Baheen said the Indian ambassador had not been there at the time of the attack. In a statement, India strongly condemned the "cowardly terrorists' attack". "Such acts of terror will not deter us from fulfilling our commitments to the government and people of Afghanistan," the government spokesman said.
In April, there was an assassination attempt against the Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the city. And earlier in the year, Taleban militants launched an attack on the Serena hotel killing several people.
最后由 曹达义 于 2008-07-07 16:48:28编辑
