Suicide bomber kills 2 in Kabul

Kabul: A Taliban suicide attack targeting a Turkish diplomatic vehicle belonging to the NATO mission killed two people in Kabul Thursday, highlighting the fragile security situation as the Afghan government presses for talks with the militants.

The blast came shortly after 8.00 am, not far from the Iranian embassy. Police said the victims were a Turkish national and an Afghan passerby. Police initially said the vehicle was from the Turkish embassy, but a spokesman for the NATO mission in Afghanistan later confirmed it was part of a coalition convoy.

A statement from NATO’s Resolute Support mission said “one service member died as a result of an attack in Kabul ”.

The coalition said however that NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan Ismail Aramaz, who is Turkish, was not involved in the incident and is unharmed. Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai gave details of the attack and death toll, saying the bomber was driving a Toyota Corolla. Abdul Rahman Rahimi, Kabul police chief, confirmed the death toll in the blast, for which the Taliban claimed responsibility.