KABUL: Joy andcelebration turned into horror and carnage when an Islamic State suicide bombertargeted a packed Afghan wedding hall, killing at least 63 people in thedeadliest attack to rock Kabul in months, officials and witnesses saidyesterday. The massive blast, which took place late Saturday in west Kabul,came as Washington and the Taleban finalize a deal to reduce the US militarypresence in Afghanistan and hopefully build a roadmap to a ceasefire.
The groomrecalled greeting smiling guests in the afternoon, before seeing their bodiesbeing carried out hours later. The attack "changed my happiness tosorrow", the young man, who gave his name as Mirwais, told local TVstation Tolo News. "My family, my bride are in shock, they cannot evenspeak. My bride keeps fainting," he said. "I lost my brother, I lostmy friends, I lost my relatives. I will never see happiness in my lifeagain." Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said a suicide bombercarried out the attack, with at least 63 people killed and 182 injured."Among the wounded are women and children," Rahimi said.
HH the Amir ofKuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday sent a cable ofcondolence to Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani over the victims of theterrorist explosion. In the cable, the Amir voiced Kuwait's emphaticdenunciation of this odious terrorist act that targeted innocents, whilereiterating Kuwait's rejection of all forms and manifestations of terrorism.Sheikh Sabah prayed to Almighty Allah to bestow mercy upon the victims andpatience to their families, wishing a swift recovery to those injured in theblast. HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HH thePrime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cables
Afghan weddingsare epic and vibrant affairs, with hundreds or often thousands of guestscelebrating for hours inside industrial-scale wedding halls where men areusually segregated from women and children. "The wedding guests weredancing and celebrating the party when the blast happened," recountedMunir Ahmad, 23, who was seriously injured and whose cousin was among the dead."Following the explosion, there was total chaos. Everyone was screamingand crying for their loved ones," he told AFP from his bed in a localhospital, where he was being treated for shrapnel wounds.
Images frominside the hall showed blood-stained bodies on the ground along with pieces offlesh and torn clothes, hats, sandals and bottles of mineral water. The hugeblast ripped parts of the ceiling off. The wedding was largely a gathering ofShiite Muslims, who frequently are targeted in Sunni-majority Afghanistan,particularly by IS. The extremist group's Afghan affiliate claimedresponsibility for the blast, saying the bomber targeted the wedding because itwas Shiite.
Wedding guestHameed Quresh told AFP the young bride and groom were saying their vows whenthe bomb went off. "We fainted following the blast, and we don't know whobrought us to the hospital," sobbed Quresh, who lost one brother and washimself wounded. Another guest told Tolo that some 1,200 people had beeninvited. With low security, weddings are seen as easy targets.
The attack sent awave of grief through a city grimly accustomed to atrocities and garnered broadcondemnation. President Ghani called it "barbaric", whileAfghanistan's chief executive Abdullah Abdullah described it as a "crimeagainst humanity". US ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass called it an actof "extreme depravity".
The attackunderscores both the inadequacy of Afghanistan's security forces and the scaleof the problem they face. While the police and army claim they prevent mostbombings from ever happening, the fact remains that insurgents pull offhorrific attacks with chilling regularity. On July 28, at least 20 people werekilled when attackers targeted Ghani's running mate Amrullah Saleh duringpresidential election campaigning. The incident showed how, even amid tightsecurity and known threats, insurgents still conduct brazen attacks.
The issue alsogoes to the heart of a prospective deal between the US and the Taliban thatwould see Washington begin to withdraw its approximately 14,000 soldiers fromAfghanistan. The deal relies on Taleban guarantees they will stop groups suchas Al-Qaeda and IS from using Afghanistan as a safe haven. Saturday's attacksuggests any such promise would be tough to keep. The "Taleban cannotabsolve themselves of blame, for they provide platform for terrorists,"Ghani said.
Few believe sucha deal will bring quick peace and Afghans fear the Taleban could return,eroding hard-won rights for women in particular and leading to a spirallingcivil war. Meanwhile, in the northern province of Balkh, 11 members of the samefamily were killed when their car hit a roadside bomb, officials said. Theprovincial governor blamed the Taleban for planting the device. - Agencies