63 killed, 182 hurt in suicide blast at wedding in Kabul

The Taliban denied responsibility for the blast at the Afghan capital

August 18, 2019 09:31 am | Updated 09:32 am IST - KABUL

A wounded man is carried to a hospital after an explosion at wedding hall in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 18, 2019.

A wounded man is carried to a hospital after an explosion at wedding hall in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 18, 2019.

A suicide bomber killed 63 people and wounded 182 in an attack on a wedding reception in the Afghan capital on Saturday night, the interior ministry said.

The Taliban denied responsibility for the blast at a west Kabul wedding hall , in a minority Shi'ite neighbourhood, packed with people celebrating a marriage.

The attack came as the Taliban and the United States are trying to negotiate an agreement on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in exchange for a Taliban commitment on security and peace talks with the U.S.-backed government.

Editorial | Endless war: on U.S. putting pressure on Taliban

It follows a bomb attack on a mosque in Pakistan on Friday that killed a brother of Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada. No one claimed responsibility for that blast, which killed four people and wounded about 20.

Pictures posted on social media showed bodies strewn amid overturned table and chairs at the wedding hall. The bomber struck the men's reception area, officials said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.