Death toll in Kabul bomb blast and gun attack rises to 43

kabul_attack An Afghan policeman keeps watch at a back of truck at the site of an attack in Kabul | PTI

A blast and a gun attack on a Kabul government compound kills at least 43 people. This horrific attack, makes it one of the deadliest of the year. The year can be marked as a bloody one for Afghanistan as civilians and security forces are slaughtered in record numbers.

Another 10 people were wounded in Monday's raid on a site where the Ministry of Public Works and other offices are located, spokesman Waheed Majroh said.
Numerous gunmen entered the compound where the Ministry of Public Works and an office of the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled are located around mid-afternoon. They detonated a bomb before entering sending government workers scrambling for their lives.

Some jumped from windows several floors high to escape the militants.

Hundreds more were trapped inside buildings as heavily armed security forces swarmed the area, engaging in a fierce gun battle with the attackers. At least four militants, including the suicide bomber, were killed and more than 350 people freed, officials said. Most of the victims were civilians, who have borne the brunt of the long war. The incident has shocked foreign diplomats and Afghan officials in Kabul who are intensifying efforts to end the 17-year war with Taliban.

This is the the deadliest assault in Kabul since a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a religious gathering last month, killing at least 55 people. It has been a tumultuous few days for Afghanistan after President Trump announced his decision to slash troops.

While there has been no official announcement of a US drawdown, the mere suggestion of the United States reducing its military presence has rattled the Afghan capital and potentially undermined peace efforts.

General Scott Miller, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said Sunday he had not received orders to pull forces out of the country.

Trump's decision apparently came Tuesday as US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with the Taliban in Abu Dhabi, part of efforts to bring the militants to the negotiating table with Kabul.

It was just a day before, that President Ashraf Ghani appointed Amrullah Saleh and Assadullah Khaled to head interior and defence ministries respectively. Both are former spymasters known for their anti-Taliban and Pakistan stance.

Many Afghans are worried that President Ashraf Ghani's fragile unity government would collapse if US troops pulled out, enabling the Taliban to return to power and potentially sparking another bloody civil war.

Militants have previously attacked government ministries and departments because they are often poorly defended and seen as soft targets.  

With inputs from AFP