Kabul: A powerful explosion rocked the centre of Afghanistan's capital early on Thursday near the Indian Embassy and the Interior Ministry, where dozens of civilians were killed in an attack last year. The blast, which police believed was the work of a suicide bomber, took place around 0827 local time (0927 IST).
Twelve Afghan civilians are reportedly dead and 45 more wounded. No Indian has been reportedly injured. Minor injuries have been reported by the security personnel who were near the embassy gate.
The bomb exploded in the morning, rattling buildings more than a mile (kilometer) away and sending a plume of smoke rising. Two sport utility vehicles nearby were badly damaged. One of them was labeled as a UN vehicle.
Moments after the blast, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told CNN-IBN, "It was a suicide bomb attack that occurred at 0827 hrs (Kabul time) outside the Indian embassy. The suicide bomb was to target the Indian embassy in Kabul."
"The attack was similar to the one that occurred in July 2008. The personnel guarding the Indian embassy have been slightly injured but no loss of life. I have spoken to our Ambassador in Kabul Jayant Prasad and he informed me that all our officers and personnel at the embassy are safe," she added.
Rao also said that after last year's blast, the embassy had been heavily guarded and so the terrorists could not enter the premises.
"The measures of keeping our staff safe in Kabul have worked very well. The Government of India has taken measures to safegaurd the Indians in Afghanistan," Rao said.
"The ITBP personnel at the Indian embassy have been slightly injured but no loss of life. I have spoken to our Ambassador in Kabul Jayant Prasad and he informed me that all our officers and personnel at the embassy are safe," Rao said.
The Afghan Interior Ministry is just across the street from Indian Embassy. The road in front of the embassy has been barricaded since the July 2008 attack that killed 44 people.
Windows in surrounding shops were shattered, and walls off buildings were badly damaged in the blast, though none of the multistory buildings along the commercial thoroughfare had collapsed.
A man who was injured in the blast said the force of the explosion threw him into the air. Mohammad Arif was quoted by Associated Press as saying that he was leaving the Indian Embassy when the blast threw him against a concrete barrier. The left side of his head was bleeding as he spoke.
Police officers at the site said they believed it was the work of a suicide bomber, but did not provide further details.
US and NATO spokespeople said they did not yet have any information on the explosion.
The Afghan capital has been hit numerous times in recent months by suicide bombers and roadside bombs. The attacks usually target international military forces or government installations, but Afghan businesses and civilians are also often killed or injured.
On July 7 last year, 44 people, including high-ranking Indian embassy officials, were killed in the suicide attack at the Indian embassy that also wounded 147 people. The attack had marked the deadliest suicide bombing since the fall of Taliban regime in 2001.
Defence Attache Brigadier R Mehta and political counselor V Venkat Rao were killed, along with two Indo-Tibetan Border Police security personnel - Ajay Panthia and Roop Singh. An Afghan national employed at the Indian mission also died.
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