LONDON
The United Kingdom has condemned a suicide attack on a UK embassy convoy that killed at least five civilians and a foreigner on Thursday.
More than 30 others were wounded in the incident when a Taliban suicide bomber drove his explosive-laden car into a British embassy vehicle in Afghanistan's capital Kabul.
"I am deeply saddened to confirm that a British national civilian security team member and an Afghan national working for the Embassy were killed in the incident. A second British member of the security team was injured," UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said.
Hammond condemned this "appalling attack on innocent civilians supporting our diplomatic activity," and said that they would not allow such inhumanity to deter them from continuing their partnership with the government of Afghanistan.
"I have nothing but admiration for the staff of the Embassy, British and Afghan, who work at great personal risk to help build a better future for Afghanistan," he said.
“We have received five bodies and 34 wounded people, including five children, at our hospitals. Unfortunately some of them are in critical condition,” Ministry of Public Health spokesman Kanishka Turkistani told the Anadolu Agency.
He refused to give any details about the foreigner's possible injuries.
At least one person with a foreign nationality was killed, according to a high level security official, and three others were injured following the attack.
The area was cordoned off by foreign and local soldiers and the armored vehicle of the embassy was heavily damaged. Several other civilian vehicles stained with blood could be seen at the scene.
It was the second attack on British targets in the past ten days.
Three suicide bombers with an explosive-laden truck and light weapons carried out a coordinated attack on a British-linked company, HART international, on Nov. 18, killing two of their guards.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's purported spokesman, claimed responsibility and said that the suicide attack had targeted a foreigner`s convoy and several people were killed.
Kabul has been witnessing suicide and bomb attacks almost every other day. Kabul police chief and a prominent female MP were targeted by suicide bombers recently. Although both escaped the attacks, several civilians lost their lives.
Taliban militants have intensified their activities since the Afghan government security agreement with the United States and NATO, whose combat forces are preparing to withdraw from Afghanistan at the end of this year.
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