Kabul: Massive blast outside Afghan foreign ministry office, 20 killed

File Photo

Kabul: A blast occurred in front of the Taliban-led Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ building in Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday afternoon. According to reports Several blasts were heard in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on January 4. The blasts came three days after at least 10 people were killed and eight others seriously injured in an explosion that rocked the Kabul military airport, Khaama Press reported.

The blast took place at a busy time of day in a heavily fortified area surrounded by checkpoints on a street housing several ministries.

Taliban Interior Ministry spokesperson Abdul Nafee Takkur said the explosion caused injuries close to the military airport’s main gate in Kabul. The war-torn county has witnessed increasing security incidents in the past few months. Last month, a Chinese-owned hotel was targeted in the heart of Kabul.

Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, armed groups linked to the Afghan branch of the Islamic State have carried out bombings targeting ethnic Hazaras, Afghan Shias, Sufis, and others, killing and injuring hundreds.