Estimates say 40 people have been killed another 140 injured after a suicide bomb attack in the Afghan capital of Kabul.
The bomber is understood to have driven a specially rigged ambulance packed with explosives into a heavily built up and crowded area near Kabul’s old interior ministry building around lunchtime.
A Heart breaking scene of a kid, wounded in today's attack by Taliban Terrorist in #Kabul. pic.twitter.com/PYFiOGQCnV
— Bahar Mehr (@baharmhr) January 27, 2018
It’s not clear where the final target of the bomber was, but he managed to pass through one checkpoint undetected after explaining he was taking patients to a hospital. At the second checkpoint, however, he was spotted and opted to blow up the vehicle. Possible targets could be the High Peace Council, Kabul's police headquarters or even the European Union office close by.
The Taliban have claimed the attack as their own, and Kabul is in a state of shock as surrounding buildings have collapsed and the local hospital is overwhelmed with casualties. People are said to be lying in the corridors due to a lack of waiting space and people outside the hospital are carrying the injured to find treatment on their backs as ambulances are struggling.
#Kabul bleeds again 🙏
— Yasir Khan Yousafzai (@yakhanyousafzai) January 27, 2018
Strongly condemns terrorist killing us #Afghans
On different names and motives
Wake up stop this bloodshed on plz pic.twitter.com/MFRDueKRka
It comes just days after 22 people were killed during a 17-hour siege of Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel and the offices of Save The Children in the eastern city of Jalalabad were attacked.