Weddings are happy occasions but the sudden attack by a suicide bomber in Kabul was a major tragedy. There were around 1200 invitees and at least 63 persons died while another 182 suffered injuries. The incident happened at the Dubai City venue. It is located in the western part of the city. Members of the Shiite Hazara community frequent the area. The interior ministry confirmed the death toll. This attack is the deadliest attack this year in Kabul. An attack of this nature leaves the survivors traumatized and it takes time to heal, especially if they happen to be children.

Sky News says a spokesperson of the president described it as a "heinous crime." A witness revealed that the explosives were near the stage and children had assembled there. The identity of those who engineered the suicide attack at the wedding in Kabul remains a mystery.

Attacks by the Taliban are not new

There have been instances in the past of Sunni Muslim militants launching attacks on Shiite minorities not just in afghanistan but also in neighboring Pakistan. Some time back a Taliban suicide bomber attacked people in western Kabul, killed 14 and left 145 injured.

It is the perennial fight between the Sunnis and the Shiites and it continues to take lives.

Sky News adds that talks are already on between the Taliban and the United States with possibilities of withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

There are 20,000 foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan and majority of them are from America. They are a part of the NATO mission and are present in an advisory capacity to handle terrorist threats. Last year, more than 3,800 civilians lost their lives and 900 of them were children. They were killed by various agencies like the Taliban, IS and others including the US and allied forces.

The United Nations provided these figures.

The Taliban denied involvement

BBC adds the Taliban denied involvement in the Kabul suicide bomb attack in a wedding hall that killed 63 people and wounded more than 180. In fact, a spokesperson of the group said it "strongly condemned" the attack and added - "There is no justification for such deliberate and brutal killings and targeting of women and children." So far, no other group has taken responsibility for the attack. The incident happened in an area mostly populated by Shia Muslims. Interior ministry of Afghanistan confirmed the death toll. Tensions have been high in spite of talks between the Taliban and the United States. There are thousands of American troops stationed in the country and the two sides could announce a peace deal.

In case such a deal does materialize, it would mean a phased withdrawal of American troops. In return, the Taliban would also have to guarantee that extremist groups would not make use of Afghanistan to attack American targets.
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