A suicide bomber attacked the busy diplomatic quarter in Afghanistan's Capital city Wednesday morning. The heavily fortified district was attacked during rush hour, leaving 90 dead and over 400 wounded. Casualties were mostly civilian, including women and children.
Fears rise regarding the government's ability to protect its citizens
In the wake of the deadliest attacks since the drawdown of foreign troops in the country many are left wondering if the government in Afghanistan is capable of protecting its own citizens from insurgent attacks. The Wednesday morning attack came at a time when the streets were crowded with commuters.
Children were on their way to school and women were shopping in the markets. The blast occurred near the German embassy and the Afghan presidential palace. Sources say the bomb was set off as the explosive-laden truck approached a police checkpoint.
Along with foreign embassies, the portion of the city where the attack occurred contains many government buildings, as well as the residences of several high ranking officials. Several checkpoints must be passed before a vehicle can enter this portion of the city. Those killed in the attack were mostly civilian but the attack also claimed the lives of several Afghan security guards. Eleven American contractors received non-life-threatening injuries.
Taliban does not claim responsibility
Upon hearing news of the attack many officials expected the Taliban to claim responsibility. At this time there has been no claims confirming or denying their involvement. Local intelligence officials believe a Pakistani group with ties to the Taliban are responsible for the attack. Earlier this week Baghdad was rocked by two ISIS suicide bombers, killing at least 27 and injuring 60 more -- marking a violent start to the holy month of Ramadan.
Assessing the damage
The American, Canadian, Indian, and French embassies were all damaged, along with the German embassy, which was closest to the attack. The offices of an Afghan TV station were so badly damaged that station owner Fahim Hashimy said: "you would have though the explosion happened inside the office."
This recent attack points to a deterioration of security across Afghanistan. The US Senate Armed Services Committee made a request earlier this month to send more troops to Afghanistan, and the war-torn region that still sees regular violence.
