2009 Kabul Indian embassy attack
| 2009 Kabul Indian embassy bombing | |
|---|---|
| Location | Embassy of India, Malalai Watt, Shahr-e-Nau, Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Date | 8 October 2009 8:30 a.m. local time. (0400 GMT) – |
| Target | Indian embassy |
|
Attack type
|
Suicide car bomb |
| Deaths | 17 |
|
Non-fatal injuries
|
83 |
| Perpetrators | Taliban, |
The 2009 Kabul Indian embassy bombing was a suicide bomb attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan on 8 October 2009 at 8:30 am local time. The bombing killed 17 people and wounded 63.
The bomb comes following a spike in such attacks in Afghanistan and amid debate in NATO countries about sending more ISAF troops to fight in "Operation Enduring Freedom".
India believed its longtime alliance with Afghanistan, as well as its political and cultural ties, made it less of a target than many Western powers. However, this confidence was shattered in an attack the previous year where a bombing at the embassy killed more than 50 people and injured more than 100.
The attacker struck at about 8:30 a.m. when the street—where the embassy and the Afghan Interior Ministry face each other—is normally busy with pedestrians. The Indian foreign secretary said that the attackers "came up to the outside perimeter wall of the embassy with a car loaded with explosives, obviously with the aim of targeting the embassy." However, blast walls built since the previous bombing deflected the force of the explosion. The bomb blew out doors and windows at the embassy but caused no loss of life inside. Though there was damage to the watch tower there was no damage to chancery premises. The bombing was said to be of the same intensity as the previous years bombing.
An Interior Ministry spokesman, Zemeri Bashary, said the explosion was a suicide bomb, without providing additional details. A bystander, Ahmadullah, said "We heard a big explosion, and smoke was everywhere. They pulled out several dead civilians and a few dozen wounded. One of my friends in [a nearby] house was injured by all the flying glass." Another witness, Nik Mohammad, who was driving in the area, said that the road shook violently and he saw at least four vehicles badly damaged.
All of the people killed were local people, there were a few Indians injured in the attack. India's ambassador to Afghanistan Jayant Prasad said that a few Indian security personnel were slightly injured.
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Wikipedia