10 January 2017•Update: 10 January 2017
By Shadi Khan Saif
KABUL, Afghanistan
Back to back suicide attacks in the heart of the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday claimed at least 23 lives, and left many more wounded.
The country’s top spy agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) was the target of this attack. Ahmad Wali, director of the Afghan police in the district 7 where the attack took place, has said a mini-bus carrying employees of the spy agency NDS was the target.
The attack took place in the southern part of the city near the historic Darul Aman palace. An Afghan female member of the parliament Rahima Jami is also believed to be among those wounded in this attack. Dr. Saleem Rasuli, an official at the Ministry of Health, has told Anadolu Agency 23 people died and at least 20 more were wounded in the attack.
According to the eye witnesses, at first a lone suicide attacker on foot detonated his explosives, and minutes later a car laden with explosives exploded, which caused most of the damage.
Claiming responsibility for the attack, the Taliban have asserted that up to 70 security officials have been killed. Zabehullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban said in a message that 30 members of the NDS died in the first attack while 40 men of the police died in the second one.
Earlier in the day, the Taliban claimed a similar attack on a gathering at the residence of a local elder in Helmand province. Seven people died in that attack. The Taliban claimed all who died in the attack were NDS employees.
