At least 25 are dead In Kabul after a twin bombing, the second blast apparently timed to hit responding rescue workers and press. Among the dead and wounded are at least 8 journalist. Reportedly the second bomber disguised as a journalist and infiltrated the gathering crowd.
Back to back suicide bombs claimed by the extremist Islamic State group exploded Monday morning near an Afghan security compound in a highly secure area of the Afghan capital, killing at least 25 people, including journalists, police said.
The second blast came as news photographers and crews were rushing to the scene, and at least seven journalists were killed, the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee said.
Agence France-Presse identified one of the dead as Shah Marai, its chief photographer in Kabul. The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee said other victims included a cameramen and journalists for local TV stations.
Hours after the attacks, the local branch of the Islamic State group posted a statement online saying two of its “martyrs” carried out an attack on the Afghan intelligence services in Kabul.
The attack took place in the Shash Darak neighborhood which is the site of a number of embassies and the NATO headquarters.
Local media watchdog, Afghan Journalist Safety Committee (AJSC), while confirming the eight media-related fatalities, strongly condemned the attack.
Two female journalists, including Mariam Tokhi from Radio Free Europe were also among the dead. French news agency AFP has confirmed the death of its chief photographer in Kabul, Shah Marai. A male staffer from RFE was also killed and another RFE staff person wounded in the attacks.
A leading Afghan television station, ‘1 TV News,’ has also confirmed the killing of two staffers in Monday’s attack.
Afghan authorities and witnesses said the attack began during early morning rush hour with a suicide bomber on motorbike blowing himself up near an office of the National Directorate of Security, the country’s intelligence agency.
When rescue workers and media crews gathered at the site minutes later, a second bomber disguised as journalist detonated explosives strapped to his body, causing most of the casualties, said Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Istanikzai.
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You’d figure this would give people perspective and stfu already about some swanky dinner in Washington, but apparently not.
There should also be more commentary on the fact that the Adminstration’s anti-Daesh policy lacks any unity from theater to theater.Report
@kolohe Apparently I have come to take terrorism with victims per instance of under 25 people as SNAFU. This is particularly disheartening given that I remember back in like 2004, thinking “you know, at some point, I’m going to start just thinking of terrorism that stays under a 3-digit body count as SNAFU,” and then being horrified at myself and resolving not to do that.
Perhaps this illuminates how the swanky dinner, in the first place, is the circuses part of bread and circuses….Report
The very harsh truth is if this story didn’t include terrorist targeting and impersonating journalist, it probably would have barely been reported. Higher body counts happen frequently with little US/Canadian Press notice.Report
@andrew-donaldson Yeah, I know. Part of the reason I am grateful to have a lot of friends in other countries than those two. I hear about a lot of things that rarely get much notice. I had thought that might dissipate my growing callousness. But no, at least not today.Report
That’s certainly part if it. But I think it still would have gotten more notice than the bombing in early March of the Shia (Hazari?) neighborhood, as even without the journalist angle, it was a substantial and coordinated attack within the ‘Ring of Steel’ or whatever they call it these days.Report