Turkey 'strongly' condemns Taliban's Kabul attacks

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's foreign ministry has strongly condemned Wednesday's terrorist attacks on two security installations in the Afghan capital Kabul which claimed 22 lives.

"We learned with great sorrow that, more than 20 people, including women and children, were killed and many others were injured in the coordinated terrorist attacks perpetrated yesterday against two police headquarters in Kabul," a Thursday statement said.

"We strongly condemn these heinous attacks which constitutes another example to the terrorist acts targeting the peace and stability of Afghanistan."

The ministry reiterated Turkey's support to the Afghan government in its fight against terrorism and "our solidarity with the brotherly Afghan people," adding "those who intend dragging Afghanistan into instability will not achieve their objectives".

On Wednesday, a Taliban suicide bomber first hit the entrance of the 6th district police station’s main gate with a vehicle loaded with explosives.

This was followed by an armed assault by four Taliban fighters on the police center, which is located adjacent to a military academy.

Fareedon Obaidi, director investigations for police in Kabul, told Anadolu Agency the attackers were killed before they could enter the compounds. Obaidi said three policemen were among the dead.

The second attack had targeted the regional office of the spy agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS), which left two armed attackers and a security guard dead.

The death toll from Wednesday’s coordinated attacks by the Taliban climbed to 22 Thursday, according to the Afghan Ministry of Public Health.

In a statement, the ministry said the dead included 11 civilians, four security personnel and seven militants; over 50 others sustained injuries.