KABUL: Taliban on Thursday claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack outside the Indian embassy here and claimed the toll in the blast was seventeen dead, al-Jazeera channel reported.
The channel quoting Taliban website identified the suicide bomber as Khalid.
Al Jazeera said Afghan government and intelligence sources have indicated involvement of foreign hand in the blast as "planned by a state and not a group of bandits", an apparent reference to Pakistan.
A suicide bomber today blew up an explosives-laden car outside the Indian Embassy here, killing 12 people and injuring 83, including three ITBP personnel, in the second attack on the mission in over a year.
The Indian Embassy staff was safe although the three ITBP personnel suffered "slight injuries" in the blast which was of the same intensity as that of July 7, 2008.
The wall of the highly-fortified embassy was damaged and a watch tower destroyed in the powerful blast that occurred near the outer perimeter at around 0827 hours (0927 IST) leaving a trail of death and destruction.
"A suicide car bomb blast took place near the Indian Embassy in which 12 people were killed and 83 wounded. Most of the wounded are civilians," Interior Ministry spokesman Zemaral Bashry said.
Indian Ambassador Jayant Prasad said the "Indian Embassy was the target" but the suicide bomber failed to breach the security perimeter.
"The blast was directed at the Embassy because the suicide bomber came up to the outside perimeter wall of the Indian Embassy with a car loaded with explosives, obviously with the aim of targeting the embassy," Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said in New Delhi.
Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Fakiri said "brutal attack" was carried out by "enemies of the relations between the two countries" and their "bases are outside of Afghanistan".
TOI
The channel quoting Taliban website identified the suicide bomber as Khalid.
Al Jazeera said Afghan government and intelligence sources have indicated involvement of foreign hand in the blast as "planned by a state and not a group of bandits", an apparent reference to Pakistan.
A suicide bomber today blew up an explosives-laden car outside the Indian Embassy here, killing 12 people and injuring 83, including three ITBP personnel, in the second attack on the mission in over a year.
The Indian Embassy staff was safe although the three ITBP personnel suffered "slight injuries" in the blast which was of the same intensity as that of July 7, 2008.
The wall of the highly-fortified embassy was damaged and a watch tower destroyed in the powerful blast that occurred near the outer perimeter at around 0827 hours (0927 IST) leaving a trail of death and destruction.
"A suicide car bomb blast took place near the Indian Embassy in which 12 people were killed and 83 wounded. Most of the wounded are civilians," Interior Ministry spokesman Zemaral Bashry said.
Indian Ambassador Jayant Prasad said the "Indian Embassy was the target" but the suicide bomber failed to breach the security perimeter.
"The blast was directed at the Embassy because the suicide bomber came up to the outside perimeter wall of the Indian Embassy with a car loaded with explosives, obviously with the aim of targeting the embassy," Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said in New Delhi.
Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Fakiri said "brutal attack" was carried out by "enemies of the relations between the two countries" and their "bases are outside of Afghanistan".
TOI
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