KABUL – A suicide attack targeting a military academy in the Afghan capitalkilled at least five people early Tuesday, the first major assault in thecity in months.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the dawn attack, whichcomes after nearly three months of relative calm in Kabul.
The ministry of defence said five people were killed and at least sixinjured in the attack.
The interior ministry, however, said six people died — two civilians andfour military personnel — after the suicide bomber detonated the device ataround 7:00 am (0230 GMT).
Twelve others were wounded, spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said in a statement.
The blast happened near the Marshal Fahim military academy, where thecountry’s security officers are trained.
“It was a big explosion that rocked our house. We also heard gunfireafterwards. Ambulances rushed to the area quickly,” resident Samiullah, wholike many Afghans goes by one name, told AFP.
A security source speaking on the condition of anonymity told AFP that theattacker was on foot when he targeted a vehicle near a checkpoint as it wasentering the academy.
President Ashraf Ghani slammed the attack, calling the bombing “a crimeagainst humanity” while repeating his call for a nationwide ceasefire.
“The great nation of Afghanistan wants an end to violence, a ceasefire anda lasting peace,” he said in a statement.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said he was unaware of any claim forthe bombing, adding that the insurgents were “investigating” the incident.The Islamic State group are also active in Kabul.
– Taliban talks –
In recent weeks the Taliban have refrained from attacking major urbancentres in an effort to keep talks with the US on track, but violence inthe provinces has continued.
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The last major attack in Kabul was in November, when at least 12 peoplewere killed after a minivan packed with explosives rammed into a vehiclecarrying foreigners during morning rush hour.
Four foreign nationals were among those wounded in the attack.
The military academy has been the scene of several attacks in the past,including one claimed by the Islamic State group last May.
Tuesday’s blast comes as Washington and the Taliban wrangle over a possibledeal that would see US troops begin to leave Afghanistan in return forsecurity guarantees.
There appears to have been little progress in reaching a deal in recentweeks, however, prompting the insurgents to saddle blame on the White Houseand what they say are a growing list of demands.
The US and Taliban had been negotiating for a year and were on the brink ofan announcement in September 2019 when President Donald Trump abruptlydeclared the process “dead”, citing ongoing violence.
Talks were restarted in December in Qatar, but paused again following anattack near the US-run Bagram military base in Afghanistan.
As talks have fluctuated, violent attacks in the country have raged, withthe number of clashes jumping to record levels in the last quarter of 2019,according to a recent US government watchdog report.
The blast happened near the Marshal Fahim military academy in Kabul
Map of Afghanistan locating suicide blast in Kabul on Tuesday.
Firefighters wash part of a road following the suicide attack near theMarshal Fahim Military Academy base in Kabul. APP/AFP
