Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Afghanistan

Powerful bomb blast rocks Afghan capital, scores wounded

Associated Press
Published | Updated
close
Fox News Flash top headlines for July 1 Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for July 1

Fox News Flash top headlines for July 1 are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com

KABUL, Afghanistan – A powerful bomb blast rocked the Afghan capital early Monday, rattling windows, sending smoke billowing from Kabul's downtown area and wounding at least 65 people, including nine children hurt by flying glass, officials said.

The Taliban claimed the attack, which came as the insurgents were holding their latest round of talks with U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in the Gulf state of Qatar, where they have a political office.

Smokes rises after a huge explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, July 1, 2019. Powerful explosion rocks Afghan capital, with smoke seen billowing from downtown area near U.S. Embassy.

Smokes rises after a huge explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, July 1, 2019. Powerful explosion rocks Afghan capital, with smoke seen billowing from downtown area near U.S. Embassy. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

The explosion occurred as the streets in the capital were packed with morning commuters. Officials and police were at the scene of the blast and few details were available. Ambulance sirens screamed throughout the downtown area.

Mohammad Karim, a police official in the area of the attack, said a car bomb exploded outside a Defense Ministry building. Militants then ran into a nearby high-rise located in a crowded market and began firing down on the ministry. Police and special Afghan security forces poured into the area and cordoned it off.

2 SERVICE PERSONNEL KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN, US MILITARY SAYS

Mohammad Farooq, the owner of a nearby restaurant, said the explosion blew out the windows of a private school, wounding several students.

Kabul's chief police spokesman, Firdous Faramaz, confirmed the explosion but did not provide details on the target or the type of explosive device. Health Ministry official Wahid Mayer said at least 65 people were wounded. He said it is difficult to reach the area because of the ongoing gunbattle between police and militants.

The capital has been relatively quiet in recent months following a spate of bombings, many claimed by the local Islamic State affiliate. The Taliban have carried out scores of attacks in Kabul, mostly targeting Afghan and U.S. military installations or convoys.

Afghan security forces arrive at the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, July 1, 2019. A powerful bomb blast rocked the Afghan capital early Monday, rattling windows, sending smoke billowing from Kabul's downtown area, officials and a medic said.

Afghan security forces arrive at the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, July 1, 2019. A powerful bomb blast rocked the Afghan capital early Monday, rattling windows, sending smoke billowing from Kabul's downtown area, officials and a medic said. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Pakistan condemned Monday's attack, saying "such attacks are detrimental to the cause of peace, security and stability in Afghanistan." Pakistan and Afghanistan routinely exchange accusations of harboring the other's militant enemies.

Pakistan has reportedly pressed the Taliban — many of whom have homes in Pakistan — into talks. Last week it hosted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for the first time as the two countries sought to reset their troubled relationship.

AFGHANISTAN RELEASES HUNDREDS OF TALIBAN PRISONERS WITHOUT CONDITIONS

The latest talks between the United States and the Taliban meanwhile stretched into a third day. The Taliban said their focus is on getting an announcement of a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan. The announcement is likely to be accompanied by a Taliban promise to hold intra-Afghan talks and agree to an eventual cease-fire.

Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha, told The Associated Press on Monday that "our main concern is to make sure a timeline for troop pullout is announced."

Taliban officials have previously told the AP they want all foreign troops withdrawn within six months, while Washington has pushed for a longer timeline of a year to 18 months.

The Taliban have refused to hold talks with the Afghan government, calling it a U.S. puppet, and have continued to carry out daily attacks on Afghan forces. They say Washington is the final arbiter on the troop withdrawal, which the insurgents see as the central issue.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Washington accelerated attempts to find a negotiated end to America's longest war with the appointment last September of Khalilzad, who was a special presidential representative to Afghanistan and later U.S. ambassador in Kabul in the years immediately following the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that ousted the Taliban.

During a visit last week to the Afghan capital, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would like to see an agreement before Sept. 1, considered an ambitious deadline by analysts but likely linked to Afghan presidential polls scheduled for later that month. Washington has expressed concern the elections could hamper a peace deal and has quietly advocated for an interim administration for up to two years following an agreement.