Authorities from the Ministry of Defense on Tuesday defended their preemptive security measures that they believe helped to reduce casualties among members of the Afghan National Army (ANA) following Monday’s brazen attack by the Taliban insurgents which disrupted the relative calm of the capital city, Kabul, amid marathon talks between the US and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, aimed at finding a political solution to the 19-year-long war in the country.
“We resisted them [the attackers] from a distance of 10 or 15 meters and did not allow them to enter the center,” an ANA officer Noor Rahman said.
The attack inflicted heavy damages to public places, people’s houses, schools, two key sports facilities, the Football Federation and the Olympic Committee, and to the Defense Ministry’s logistics center in downtown Kabul. It also damaged dozens of shops in the area as officials put it.
Officials said the attack which started with a truck bombing and was followed by gunfight by five attackers left six people dead and more than 116 others wounded. But sources said that more than 40 people were killed in the bombing.
Security officials told TOLOnews that a Hino truck was used in the bombing which was loaded by a large amount of explosives and sand. It was detonated near the Defense Ministry’s logistics center near Pul-e-Mahmood Khan area in Kabul’s police district 16. The US Embassy, the Presidential Palace and the Defense Ministry are key installations with almost five kilometers of distance to the blast.
A township, the Gulbarhar Tower, which houses hundreds of families was very close to the blast which was heavily damaged and most of the wounded were its residents.
Defense Ministry’s officials said the logistics center was relocated, therefore, no one from the center was hurt in the attack.
“Our logistics department had been relocated from here days ago, but our engineering section is located in a small distance from the blast scene,” the Defense Ministry’s spokesman Rohullah Ahmadzai said.
Survivors of the attack recalled the bombing as horrific and shocking.
“One of our employees was hiding here in this room, but he could not survive the attack,” said Mohammad Hafiz, an eyewitness.
Brother of a victim said that they could not find even a small sign of his brother’s body to show it to their family.
A resident of the area, Qudratullah, said his house was heavily damaged in the explosion but his family survived the attack.
The explosion left 50 schoolchildren wounded. They all were from two schools located around the blast scene. They were in their classes when the explosion happened at around 8:50 am Kabul time on Monday, July 1.
“The glasses came down. We were thrown towards the door and all there was dust and darkness everywhere,” said Bilal, a school student who survived the explosion.
“I still see that moment in front of my eyes. I saw everyone lying on the ground and stained in blood,” said Mursal, a student.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in a statement condemned the attack and said a probe will be launched to find the harm of the attack to Afghan civilians.
