Taliban claim deadly truck bombing in Afghan capital

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - The Taliban took responsibility on Tuesday for the deadly suicide truck bombing in the Afghan capital, Kabul, a day earlier that killed four people and left more than 100 injured.

The Taliban dubbed it as a message for the foreign forces and the new Interior Minister Amrullah Saleh, a former spy chief.

Afghan officials have confirmed most of the casualties are civilians.

Zabihullah Mujahed, the Taliban spokesman, said in a tweet the residents of Kabul had already been warned to stay away from the living quarters, offices, military bases and centers of foreign forces as well as the military centers of the Kabul administration.

“The foreigners should not think that Afghanistan is a safe and proper place for their occupation,” the Taliban spokesman stated.

Najib Danish, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, told Anadolu Agency the Green Village, a compound housing a number of international aid agencies and foreigners, on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway was the target.

An Indian national was among the four people killed in the attack, the Indian Embassy in Kabul said.

“India calls for the perpetrators of this heinous attack and those who provide them shelter to be brought to justice expeditiously,” the statement by the embassy said.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack and labeled it “inhuman” and against Islam.

In November last year, a private security firm, G4S, working for the British troops was targeted in same area in same fashion, resulting in killing of ten people.