2008 Indian embassy bombing in Kabul

2008 Embassy bombing in Kabul
The blast site outside the Indian embassy in Kabul
Location	Embassy of India, Malalai Watt, Shahr-e-Nau, Kabul, Afghanistan
Date	7 July 2008 8:30 a.m. local time. (0400 GMT) –
Target	Indian embassy
Attack type	Suicide car bomb
Deaths	58
Non-fatal injuries	150+
Perpetrators	Taliban, Haqqani network, ISI

Coordinates: 34°31′59″N 69°09′58″E / 34.533°N 69.166°E / 34.533; 69.166

The 2008 Indian embassy bombing in Kabul was a suicide bomb terror attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan on 7 July 2008 at 8:30 AM local time. The bombing killed 58 people and wounded 141. The suicide car bombing took place near the gates of the embassy during morning hours when officials enter the embassy.

Unnamed U.S. intelligence officials suggested to the New York Times that Pakistan's ISI intelligence agency had planned the attack. Pakistan refuted this claim. According to British journalist Christina Lamb, United States President George W. Bush confronted Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and stated that in the case of another such attack he would have to take "serious action". Gilani promised to investigate the attack. Later Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq described the New York TImes report as "total rubbish" and said there was no evidence of ISI involvement.

During the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, India offered intelligence and other forms of support to the coalition forces. After the overthrow of the Taliban, India established diplomatic relations with the newly elected democratic government, provided aid and participated in Afghanistan's reconstruction efforts through the construction of roads, railways, electricity transmission lines, schools and hospitals. Indo-Afghan relations strengthened in the wake of Afghanistan's persisting tensions and problems with Pakistan, which is widely believed to shelter and support the Taliban. Both India and Afghanistan also developed strategic and military cooperation against the insurgency. India pursued a policy of close cooperation with Afghanistan in order to gain friendly influence in Central Asia as well as to keep a check on Kashmiri militants that it claims are operating from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. India also provides training to Afghan National Army officers and military personnel at its training institutions, including the National Defence Academy and the School of Artillery at Devlali. India has also helped Afghanistan in "capacity-building" by training Afghan pilots and technicians in operating Russian-origin Mi-35 helicopter gunships. India is also a supplier of military parts for Soviet-era Afghan tanks and aircraft.