*KABUL: *A suicide bomber killed more than 60 people and wounded scores,including women and children, as they celebrated a wedding in the Afghancapital, authorities said on Sunday, the deadliest attack in Kabul inrecent months.
The Islamic State group on Sunday claimed responsibility the attack.
IS said one of its fighters blew himself up at a “large gathering” in Kabulwhile others “detonated a parked explosives-laden vehicle” when securityforces arrived, in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app.
The blast, which took place late on Saturday in the city’s west, came asWashington and the Taliban are in the final stages of a deal to reduce theUS military presence in Afghanistan.
The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack.
Interior ministry spokesperson Nasrat Rahimi said at least 63 people hadbeen killed and 182 injured. “Among the wounded are women and children,”Rahimi said. Earlier he stated that the blast was caused by a suicidebomber.
Afghan weddings are epic and vibrant affairs, with hundreds or oftenthousands of guests celebrating for hours inside industrial-scale weddinghalls where the men are usually segregated from the women and children.
In the aftermath of Saturday’s attack images from inside the hall showedblood-stained bodies on the ground along with pieces of flesh and tornclothes, hats, sandals and bottles of mineral water.
The wedding was believed to be a Shia gathering.
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Mohammad Farhag, who had been at the wedding, told *AFP* he had been in thewomen’s section when he heard a huge blast in the men’s area.
“Everyone ran outside shouting and crying,” he said.
“For about 20 minutes the hall was full of smoke. Almost everyone in themen’s section is either dead or wounded.”
Two hours after the blast, he said bodies were still being removed from thehall.
A mobile phone video which swiftly went viral shortly after the attackshowed one man outside the hall with bloodstains on his clothes, his voicebreaking as he explained he was searching for his brothers.
One guest who spoke to *Tolo News* said some 1,200 people had been invited.
The attack sent a wave of grief through a city grimly accustomed toatrocities. – APP / AFP
