Suicide Blast Kills 28 In Kabul

More than 28 people were killed and about 300 others were injured Tuesday morning after a suicide bomber exploded targeting a security team that protects government VIPs near the Afghan Defense Ministry and presidential palace in a busy part of Kabul.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said most of the victims were civilians and those included children as well as women.

Sediqi added a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle loaded with explosives in the parking place. A second attacker was killed by security forces two hours after the blast inside the building.

The Afghan Taliban has taken credit of the attack saying in a statement, “First a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden lorry on the gate of the department and then other armed attackers went in and started shooting on the rest of the enemies.”

Afghan journalist Esmatullah Kohsar tweeted windows of his office shattered by the blast.

According to Afghan women’s rights activist Wazhma Frogh it was a sad day in the capital as couple of schools in the explosion area were affected by the blast with parents running to the doors to take their children.

About a week ago the Taliban declared start of a spring offensive.

Such attacks are a sign of Taliban weakness, said NATO forces commander in Afghanistan, General John W. Nicholson.