At least six people die in a suicide attack outside the Russian Embassy in Kabul | International

At least six people have died and 11 others have been injured this Monday in a suicide attack near the Russian Embassy in Kabul. The attacker, loaded with explosives, was discovered and killed by Taliban security forces in the vicinity of the compound, located in the southwest of the capital, on Darul Aman Avenue. It is the first attack against a foreign mission since the Taliban seized power in August last year.

The police chief of the area, Malavi Saber, explained to EFE: “The suicide tried to attack the head of security of the Russian Embassy, ​​near the area for visitors, but the load he was carrying detonated in the street after he was discovered by the authorities and before it reached its target.” Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran has confirmed that security forces fired on the explosion as they tried to stop the suicide bomber. Zadran also lamented “the death of four of our compatriots and that of two employees of the Russian embassy” as well as the fact that several Afghans were injured in the explosion, which took place near the entrance to the consular section of the delegation.

“Now the most important thing is to get information about the facts and to know what happened to our representatives, our diplomats,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told a news conference. The Russian government has confirmed the death of two embassy workers: “According to preliminary data, the second secretary died in the attack [de la delegación] and the embassy guard”, indicated the president of the Russian Instruction Commission, an institution attached to the Kremlin. In addition, he also requested that what happened be investigated in coordination with the Afghan security forces: “Everyone involved in the crime must be identified.”

The Taliban have assured that their security agencies are conducting a “thorough” investigation into the incident, in addition to announcing “more serious measures” to increase security in the area. The Afghan Foreign Ministry has “strongly” condemned the attack and has also conveyed its condolences to the Russian government, the people and the families of the victims, according to a statement released on Twitter by Taliban diplomacy spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi. .

Although Moscow has not recognized the fundamentalist regime, it has been one of the few countries that has defended a rapprochement with the Taliban; Russia, unlike other nations, keeps its diplomatic service active in Afghanistan. “We have close relations with the Russian Federation and we will not allow such negative actions by enemies to have a negative impact on our relations,” the Afghan foreign spokesman said.

The country’s security has become a challenge for the Taliban, who since coming to power have seen Afghanistan suffer some of the bloodiest attacks in recent years. Last August at least 21 people were killed and thirty were also injured in a suicide attack on a mosque in the Afghan capital. At the moment, no armed group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although the jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) have been responsible for other attacks in the country. Since the Taliban came to power, IS has become the main security threat.

Follow all the international information in Facebook Y Twitteror in our weekly newsletter.