7 August 2019 Kabul bombing

A suicide car bomb exploded at a security checkpoint outside a police station in the Afghanistan capital, Kabul, on 7 August 2019.[1] The explosion occurred in the early morning, in a predominantly Shia neighbourhood in western Kabul.[2] At least 14 people were killed and 145 injured, mostly civilians.[3] The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, citing that one of their suicide bombers attacked "a recruitment centre".[1] The attack occurred as ongoing negotiations between the Taliban and the United States were being conducted.[2]

7 August 2019 Kabul bombing
Part of War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Bombing site
Bombing site (Afghanistan)
Bombing site
Bombing site (Kabul)
LocationKabul, Afghanistan
Coordinates34°29′50″N 69°06′51″E
Date7 August 2019 (2019-08-07)
09:00 (AFT; UTC+04:30)
TargetA police station and a military training school in west Kabul
Attack type
Suicide car bombing
Deaths14
Injured145
PerpetratorsTaliban
 

Background

Following the September 11 attacks, the United States requested that the Taliban hand over Osama bin Laden, the leader of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda.[4] After the Taliban refused, the US and other nations invaded Afghanistan.[5][6] The Taliban still has control over 59 districts.[7]

Over the years, the US has negotiated with the Taliban to end the war, with a likely solution that involves the withdrawal of US troops before the 2020 US presidential election being proposed in July and August 2019.[8] Despite these ongoing peace negotiations, the Taliban has targeted civilians that would participate in the 2019 Afghan presidential election [9] in various attacks carried out in the first half of 2019. The group has threatened to disrupt the elections on August 6, calling the elections "worthless" because they have no legitimacy.[10]

This is not the first time in which a police station was targeted. In April 2019, a large attack was carried out by the Taliban in western Afghanistan in which 30 soldiers and police officers were killed.[11] A similar event occurred on July 27, 2019, when a suicide bomb near a police headquarters in Ghazni Province killed three police officers and wounded 12.[12] The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has stated that the month of July 2019 was the deadliest in Afghanistan since May 2017 due to a rise in civilian casualties.[13]

The military training school that was targeted also served as a recruitment center for security forces.[3]

Attack

The bomb was detonated around 9:00 am AFT on August 7, 2019, when a vehicle targeted the gates of District 6 police headquarters.[14] The vehicle was stopped at a security checkpoint outside the building. The police headquarters was located in Golaee Dawa Khana, a Shi’ite neighborhood.[15] The police headquarters and a military training school were the main targets. The explosion left thick smoke in the sky and formed a large crater. The police station, a nearby military training school, and all windows in a radius of a mile were destroyed.[16]

The explosion left 14 people dead, including four police officers, and 145 wounded, mostly women and children; 92 of the wounded were civilians.[17] Two of the attackers were killed, however one was arrested. The bomb used has been identified as a car bomb, with the Taliban claiming that a larger truck bomb was used instead.[18] The attack occurred days before the Islamic holiday of Eid Al Adha.[19]

Aftermath

Afghan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah condemned the attack, stating that it was aimed at disrupting the upcoming Afghan presidential elections.[2] American envoy Zalmay Khalilzad condemned the attack.[20][21]

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References
  1. Reuters (2019-08-07). "Kabul attack: nearly 100 injured in Taliban bombing, say officials". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  2. "Kabul". The Independent. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  3. "Taliban suicide blast in Kabul kills 14 people, injures 145". Los Angeles Times. 2019-08-07. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  4. "The history of the Afghanistan war". Newsround. 7 March 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  5. "A Timeline of the U.S. War in Afghanistan". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  6. "Civilians Killed & Wounded | Costs of War". watson.brown.edu. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  7. "Afghanistan: Who controls what". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  8. "The U.S. is Close to a Peace Deal With the Taliban, Officials Say". Time. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  9. "UN Afghan Mission 'outraged' by deadly Taliban attack in Kabul, as hardline group threatens election violence". UN News. 2019-08-07. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  10. "Taliban Attack In Kabul Kills At Least 14". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  11. Abed, Fahim (2019-04-04). "Taliban Attack Kills Dozens in Afghanistan Despite U.S. Efforts in Peace Talks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  12. "Three Police Killed In Taliban Suicide Attack In Southeast Afghanistan". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  13. "UN reminds parties of their responsibility to protect civilians - Civilian casualty rates spike in July". UNAMA. 2019-08-03. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  14. Ehsan Popalzai. "14 dead and 145 people injured in Taliban bomb attack in Afghanistan". CNN. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  15. "At Least 14 Killed, 145 Wounded In Taliban Car Bombing In Kabul". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  16. Abed, Fahim; Faizi, Fatima; Mashal, Mujib (2019-08-07). "Violence in Afghanistan Worsens as U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks Plod On". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  17. Faiez, Rahim; Anna, Cara (August 7, 2019). "Taliban suicide blast in Kabul kills 14 people, 145 wounded". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  18. "Taliban bomb Kabul amid peace talk 'progress'". 2019-08-07. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  19. "Taliban claims it's behind one of year's worst attacks in Kabul, with scores dead and wounded". www.cbsnews.com. CBS/AP. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  20. Khalilzad, U. S. Special Representative Zalmay (2019-08-07). "Indiscriminate attacks and intentional Injury to civilians are never warranted. We condemn the attack today in Kabul for which the Taliban claimed responsibility, and in which scores were killed and reportedly more than 145 injured, including many civilians". @US4AfghanPeace. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  21. Khalilzad, U. S. Special Representative Zalmay (2019-08-07). "The focus should be on immediately reducing violence as we move closer to intra-Afghan negotiations that will produce a political roadmap and a permanent ceasefire". @US4AfghanPeace. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
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