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AN EXPLOSIVES-PACKED ambulance blew up in a crowded area of Kabul today killing at least 90 people and wounding 151 others, officials said, in one of the biggest blasts to rock the war-torn city in recent years.
The Taliban-claimed assault, the second carried out by the militant group in the Afghan capital in a week, triggered chaotic scenes as terrified survivors fled the area scattered with body parts and hospitals were overwhelmed by the large number of wounded.
It came as both the insurgents and the Islamic State group have escalated their attacks on Kabul, one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians.
An AFP reporter saw “lots of dead and wounded” civilians in the Jamuriate hospital, which is metres away from the blast and where medical staff struggled to treat the bloodied men, women and children lying on the floor in corridors.
“The latest toll has reached 90 dead and 151 wounded,” Baryalai Hilali, the director of the government media centre, told reporters.
He warned the death toll might rise as some of the wounded brought to hospitals were in a “critical condition”.
The blast happened in an area where several high-profile organisations, including the European Union, have offices. Members of the EU delegation in Kabul were in their “safe room” and there were no casualties, an official told AFP.
The force of the explosion shook windows of buildings at least two kilometres (more than a mile) away and caused some low-rise structures in the immediate vicinity to collapse.
The suicide bomber passed through at least one checkpoint in the ambulance, saying he was taking a patient to Jamuriate hospital, an interior ministry spokesman told AFP.
“At the second checkpoint he was recognised and blew his explosive-laden car,” Nasrat Rahimi said.
Twenty minutes before the blast an AFP reporter saw police checking ambulances several hundred metres from the scene of the explosion, as the drivers and patients stood on the street. Ambulances are rarely checked in the city.
The Taliban used social media to claim responsibility for the attack, which comes exactly a week after its insurgents stormed Kabul’s landmark Intercontinental hotel, killing at least 25 people, the majority foreigners.
‘Massacre’
Photos shared on social media purportedly of the blast, which the presidential palace quickly condemned as a “crime against humanity”, showed a huge plume of smoke rising into the sky.
Near the blast site civilians walked through debris-covered streets carrying wounded on their backs as others loaded several bodies at a time into ambulances and private cars to take them to medical facilities around the city.
The Italian NGO Emergency said seven dead and 70 wounded had been taken to its hospital, with its coordinator Dejan Panic tweeting that it had been a “massacre”.
A photo posted on Emergency’s Twitter account showed hospital staff treating injured people in an outdoor walkway next to a garden.
A man told Ariana TV he had taken his wounded brother to Jamuriate and Emergency hospitals but had been turned away.
“They are asking people with non-life threatening wounds to go to other hospitals,” he said.
Aminullah, whose stationery shop is just metres from where the explosion happened, said the force of the explosion shook the foundations of his building.
“The building shook. All our windows broke. The people are in shock in our market,” he told AFP.
A man told Tolo News he was passing the area when the explosion happened.
“I heard a big bang and I fainted,” he said, outside the Emergency hospital.
“There were dozens of people who were killed and wounded. There were pools of blood.”
The offices of the High Peace Council, charged with negotiating with the Taliban, are also near the blast site.
“It targeted our checkpoint. It was really huge — all our windows are broken,” Hassina Safi, a member of High Peace Council, told AFP.
“So far we don’t have any reports if any of our members are wounded or killed.”
A security alert issued on Saturday morning had warned that the Islamic State group was planning “to conduct aggressive attacks” on supermarkets, shops and hotels frequented by foreigners.
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Kenny has a nice EU commissioner role awaiting him in Brussels, which is his 30 pieces of silver for not burning the bondholders but burdened the Irish taxpayers with debt.
@Permo Dermo: that wasn’t him. Blame that lying bast@rd Brian Cowan for that
@jason bourne: Actually jason it was Enda “its not our debt” that put us on the rack,
@Permo Dermo:
Please. The people who burdened the Irish taxpayers with debt were the public sector unions, who’s refusal to give an inch on their bloated pay and pensions during the recession led to a €20 billion annual deficit, every year. The bank bailout was small change compared to that.
@Fred Jensen: €20 > €64?? oh ya I forgot you’re probably using leprechaun economics.
@Fred Jensen: You are some moron aren’t you if you believe that. Aside from the incontrovertible fact that every public sector employee took a fairly hefty pay cut, one which is only now beginning to be only slightly undone, and had a public sector only pension levy applied, how could anyone forget that it was the failure of private sector organisations – banks and property developers among others – that caused the recession and economic collapse. Don’t be so daft
@Fred Jensen: Fred would you ever cop on to yourself.
Why wasn’t tosser listed.
Well this gombeen ever exit the stage.he sold out his own people in favour of the EU,has to be the most embarrassing leader ever
The sheer arrogance of the man, did the same when it came to announcing the date of the last General Election, flip-flopping around for months, unwilling to inform the Irish people when they would be allowed to cast their vote, forgetting that he is nothing more than a PUBLIC SERVANT. Should be in jail for treason.
Surely Seannachi-in-chief. I know a homeless fella on a bench in merrion square with a pint in each hand who will second him for the role, as soon as he’s finished phoning everyone to tell them how much extra water is in his taps thanks to fine gael.
He wasn’t good enough to be taoiseach never mind any of the other jobs. The fact that the EU people see him as a soft touch to advance their own objectives (hence all the EU praise) will rule him out for all of those jobs. I can’t remember one important decision he’s made in the 6 years he’s been taoiseach, except that announcement for the immigrant vote referendum a few months back which will mean nothing to most of us.
@Adrian: The Aqueduct?
“Recently, there has been speculation that Kenny should be kept on as Brexit minister.”
Why would we want “its not our debt” any were near important discussions…..
40 years as a TD, stayed under the radar for 30 odd years collecting his wages and then spent the past few years keeping his masters in Brussels happy to make sure he gets a plum job in Europe. He’s done very well for “himself” and will be looked after while phase two austerity continues to be implemented under stealth taxes and lack of investment in public services. That’s his legacy and as long as the Irish people continue to FF/FG, many more entitled TD’s will enrich themselves on the back of the gullible Irish voter.
While he collects his Taoiseach’s massive pension pot and then the 100k lump sum and the 30k a year teachers pension, he can think about it.
Prison cell
@Jonathan Yeo: so it’s a crime to save a country from economic ruins?
@Negan: lol
@Negan: what planet are you on, I’d like to visit for a few hours.
What about absolute waster?
Quentin Tarantino is looking for a new gimp for Pulp Fiction 2
Would his incompetence be put up with anywhere else.
@William Clay: Only in the EU…..
He could get a job working for Dinny?
Like Cowan did.
Who would have him the circus wouldn’t take him!!
@vinnie Monaghan. Cos he already holds that job title.
He should be booted out of politics.
Why doesn’t he volunteer and dosomething worthwhile ? Why a job with a big salary and yet another pension?
A bog in his beloved mayo,,bury him in it
@Shane O Malley: Shane with a name like O Malley at u sure u wouldn’t like to be buried with him.
@Shane O Malley: Yes he should go back to mayo & cut turf, at least he would be doing something constructive & not costing the taxpayer more money
Backbencher?
@Dylan McKane: backstabber you mean surely
Go back teaching-ar u. Joking-he couldn’t teach a donkey.He will b over in the canaries rubbing the sun cream onto Finnullas back.
Enda wants the private lick arse job to Merkel.
have your say