Afghan capital rocked by suicide attack on Turkish embassy car
An aerial view of Kabul near Hamid Karzai International Airport February 22, 2015. REUTERSA suicide bomber rammed a vehicle laden with explosives into a Turkish embassy car in the Afghan capital on Thursday, killing at least one person inside, the ministry of interior said.
The explosion struck in the heart of the heavily fortified diplomatic quarter, close to the German, Iranian and Turkish embassies, rattling windows and putting embassy staff on high alert.
"A suicide attack targeted a convoy of the Turkish embassy," deputy interior minister General Ayoub Salanghi told reporters at the site of the blast, adding that the driver of the vehicle had been killed and one person wounded.
The Taliban swiftly claimed responsibility, saying it had targeted a convoy of foreign forces causing many injuries. The militant Islamist group often inflates casualty claims.
It was the second time an embassy vehicle has been targeted by insurgents in the capital in recent months, after a British car was attacked by a suicide bomber in November.
One Turkish official reached by phone confirmed the location of the incident, but said he could not provide further details.
Insurgent attacks in the capital have been intermittent in recent months as winter has closed in and as access for militants who are believed to be based in neighboring Pakistan is limited.
The Afghan government hopes to open a dialogue with the Taliban\’s leadership in the near future, which could lead to peace talks in the coming year or two, officials and diplomats have said.
In the meantime, the insurgents are expected to intensify their war, in order to enter any talks from a position of strength.
SOURCE: REUTERS AND AP
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