1 July 2019 Kabul attack

Last updated

1 July 2019 Kabul attack
Part of War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Afghanistan adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Kabul
Kabul (Afghanistan)
Location Kabul, Afghanistan
Date1 July 2019
TargetDefense Ministry building
Attack type
Car bombing
Mass murder
Mass shooting
WeaponsCar bomb
Guns
Deaths40 [1] (+5)
Injured105+
PerpetratorsFlag of the Taliban.svg Taliban

On 1 July 2019, a combined gun and bomb attack took place in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood of Kabul, Afghanistan. The attackers initially detonated a bomb-laden truck, after which five gunmen entered a nearby building under construction and fired on Afghan security personnel evacuating people onto the street. At least forty-five were killed, including the five attackers. The spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, Wahidullah Mayar, said that 116 civilians, including 26 children and 5 women, were wounded. The Taliban claimed the responsibility for the bomb attack in Kabul and said although civilians were not the Taliban target, some were injured. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Background

The attack occurred during the ongoing Taliban–United States peace talks in Doha, Qatar. [4] In the days before the attack, the militant group carried out multiple deadly attacks on security forces all across the country. [5]

According to The New York Times , the violence in Afghanistan has increased during the 18th year of the United States military presence in Afghanistan. [1]

Attack

The Taliban attacked Afghanistan's capital housing military and government buildings using a powerful car bomb on 1 July 2019, and a gunfight began soon after. The attacks killed 40 civilians and injured 116. [1] [2] The bomb exploded during the morning in Kabul when the streets were filled with people. [6]

The attack happened in two stages. The first was the detonation of a truck or minibus bomb, packed full of explosives, in central Kabul. The explosion happened in the Puli Mahmood Khan area of the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood during rush hour. The area houses many government, diplomatic, and military buildings and installations. [7] The blast was powerful, shaking buildings up to 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away, [8] sending a plume of smoke in the air and destroying many cars and buildings. At least 51 students were injured during the blast, which damaged two nearby schools and shattered windows of three others. [9] [10] [11] The Pashto media organization Shamshad TV said their office was hit by the blast, with one security guard killed and several journalists wounded. [2] The TV station aired images of broken glass and the damage to its office in the aftermath of the bombing. [12] The New York Times reported that 40 people were killed in the car bombing, 34 civilians and 6 security forces. [1]

After the explosion, five attackers entered a nearby building under construction and opened fire on security personnel in the street, sparking a gunfight. [13] The shootout lasted for over 7 hours until all 5 attackers were killed by responders. [2] The spokesman for the Ministry of Interior Affairs, Nasrat Rahimi, said after the explosion, attackers entered the Ministry of Defense building, and two car bombs exploded separately near the museum site and the television site. [1] The attackers had been surrounded by the ministry security forces and one of them was killed. He finally added that a child, a security guard of Shamshad TV, and 2 soldiers of the Special Forces were killed during the attack incident and more than 210 people had been rescued during the operation. [1] [2] [6] [14]

An office belonging to the Afghan Football Federation was damaged during the incident, and its chief, Yosuf Kargar, and several players injured. [7]

The Afghanistan Ministry of Education spokesman, Nooria Nazhat, announced that 51 students from two schools near the blast site were hurt by flying shards of glass, and the explosion resulted in part of the school collapsing. [1] [2]

Responsibility

The Taliban militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it attacked "the defence ministry’s technical installation". [15]

Zabihullah Mujahid, one of two official spokesmen for the Taliban, mentioned on a Twitter account that a logistics and engineering unit of the Ministry of Defense was the intended target. [2] He added that people were not the target of attacks, but some of them have been wounded. [1]

Aftermath

Many of the people wounded in the attack were taken into local hospitals, including many school children. [16] After the attack, many residents and lawmakers criticized security and intelligence agencies, demanding to know how a truck full of explosives and five attackers managed to enter the area, which contains many secure buildings and compounds, among them the United States embassy and the Kabul Presidential Palace. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

The 2009 Kabul Indian embassy bombing was a suicide bomb attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan on 8 October 2009 at 8:30 am local time. The bombing killed 17 people and wounded 83.

On the morning of 19 April 2016, Taliban militants attacked a security team responsible for protecting government VIPs in Kabul, Afghanistan. The initial attack killed 64 people and wounded 347. It was their biggest attack on an urban area since 2001.

Explosions in Kabul on September 5, 2016 killed over 41 people and injured 103 others in twin suicide bombings near the Afghan defense ministry. The Taliban claimed the first attack and said that their suicide bomber killed 58 people. Reportedly an army general and one district police chief were killed in the blast. Attacks lasted overnight with a siege and hostage situation. At least one person was killed and six injured in another attack on a charity CARE International building in Shāre Naw. The attack was claimed by the Taliban, with at least 3 of their attackers being killed and 42 hostages being rescued.

On 31 May 2017, a truck bomb exploded in a crowded intersection in Kabul, Afghanistan, near the German embassy at about 08:25 local time during rush hour, killing over 150 and injuring 413, mostly civilians, and damaging several buildings in the embassy. The attack was the deadliest terror attack to take place in Kabul. The diplomatic quarter—in which the attack took place—is one of the most heavily fortified areas in the city, with three-meter-high (10 ft) blast walls, and access requires passing through several checkpoints. The explosion created a crater about 4.5 meters (15 ft) wide and 30 feet deep. Afghanistan's intelligence agency NDS claimed that the blast was planned by the Haqqani Network. Although no group has claimed responsibility, the Afghan Taliban are also a suspect but they have denied involvement and condemned the attack. It was the single largest attack on the city up till that point.

On 27 January 2018, an ambulance was used as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device near Sidarat Square in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least 103 people were killed and 235 others wounded in the attack. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Events from the year 2019 in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State–Taliban conflict</span> 2015–present armed conflict in Afghanistan

The Islamic State–Taliban conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-KP) and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The conflict initially began when both operated as insurgent groups in Nangarhar; since the creation of the Taliban's emirate in 2021, IS-KP have targeted and assassinated Taliban members using hit-and-run tactics. The group have also caused incidents and attacks across the border in Pakistan.

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

Events in the year 2020 in Afghanistan.

In May 2020, a series of insurgent attacks took place in Afghanistan, starting when the Taliban killed 20 Afghan soldiers and wounded 29 others in Zari, Balkh and Grishk, Helmand on 1 and 3 May, respectively. On 12 May, a hospital's maternity ward in Kabul and a funeral in Kuz Kunar (Khewa), Nangarhar were attacked, resulting in the deaths of 56 people and injuries of 148 others, including newborn babies, mothers, nurses, and mourners. ISIL–KP claimed responsibility for the funeral bombing, but no insurgent group claimed responsibility for the hospital shooting.

In a continuation of previous attacks by the Taliban in May and June, multiple clashes between Afghan security forces and the Taliban were reported. They carried out several attacks throughout Afghanistan, resulting in multiple fatalities on both sides. Both the Taliban and government forces have accused each other responsibility over the recent surge in violence across Afghanistan. The attacks come despite the signing of a peace deal with the U.S. in February that was intended to put an end to the war.

The August 2020 Afghanistan attacks were multiple attacks that occurred in August 2020. The attacks left at least 165 people dead, and another 177 were injured.

The September 2020 Afghanistan attacks were a series of multiple attacks that occurred in September 2020. Resulting in at least 105 fatalities and another 112 injured. In addition 97 insurgents were killed and another 58 were injured in these attacks.

The October 2020 Afghanistan attacks were multiple attacks launched by insurgents including the Taliban and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province in October 2020. The attacks left at least 243 people dead and 339 injured. 10 perpetrators were also killed in these attacks.

The November 2020 Afghanistan attacks were multiple attacks launched by insurgents including the Taliban and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province in November 2020. The attacks left at least 88 people dead and more than 193 injured.

On 8 May 2021, a car bombing, followed by two more improvised explosive device (IED) blasts, occurred in front of Sayed al-Shuhada school in Dashte Barchi, a predominantly Shia Hazara area in western Kabul, Afghanistan, leaving at least 90 people dead and 240 injured. The majority of the casualties were girls between 11 and 15 years old. The attack took place in a neighborhood that has frequently been attacked by militants belonging to the regional Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-K) over the years.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Faizi, Fatima; Nordland, Rod; Gibbons-Neff, Thomas (1 July 2019). "Bombing Kills Dozens in Kabul as Taliban Talks Continue". New York Times. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Shalizi, Hamid; Sediqi, Abdul Qadir; Hakimi, Orooj. "Gun battle ends in Afghan capital after Taliban blast wounds 105". Reuters. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  3. "Iran's SNSC Condemns Terror Attack in Kabul". tasnimnews.com. tasnimnews. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  4. Sharif, Amiri. "Doha Talks Continue Amid Taliban's Attack In Kabul". TOLONews. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  5. Roggio, Bill. "Taliban launches string of attacks throughout Afghanistan". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Taliban attack in Kabul kills 16, wounds dozens of children". aljazeera.com. Aljazeera. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Kabul bomb: 34 dead after Taliban attack hits military compound". TheNational. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  8. "One Killed, More Than 100 Hurt As Powerful Blast Rocks Kabul". RadioFreeLiberty. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  9. "51 Students Injured in Taliban's Kabul Attack: MoE". Ariana News. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  10. "At least 50 children wounded in Taliban attack on Kabul". Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  11. "Taliban launch gun and bomb attack in Kabul". BBC. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  12. "Powerful blast in Afghan capital causes dozens of casualties". TRT World. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  13. "Gun battle rages in Afghan capital after Taliban blast injures 100". Reuters. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  14. "Pakistan reacts to 'Terrorist Attack' carried out by Taliban in Kabul city". Khaama Press. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  15. "Taliban militants claim responsibility for blast in Afghan capital". Reuters. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  16. "At least 50 children wounded in Taliban car bomb attack on Kabul". SBS News. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  17. Amiri, Sayed Sharif. "Security Agencies Under Harsh Criticism Following Kabul Attack". TOLONews. Retrieved 1 July 2019.