Sunday June 4, 2017
Kabul (BNA) Three explosions have ripped through a funeral in the capital, Kabul, killing at least 20 people and wounding 87 others, according to the health ministry.
Saturday’s funeral was being held for a protester, the son of Senator Mohammad Alam Izdyar, who was killed during demonstrations on Friday, demanding better security in the country. Friday’s protesters took to the streets to decry perceived security failures after a massive blast on Wednesday killed at least 90 people in Kabul.
The hilly site was littered with bloodied corpses and dismembered limbs, local television footage showed, with one witness telling that “people were blown to pieces” due to the impact of the blasts.
“We don’t know what caused the explosions. Initial reports show 15 people have been killed and wounded,” interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said on Twitter. The funeral was attended by senior Afghan government officials including Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah.
Kabul city was on lockdown on Saturday with armed checkpoints and armored vehicles patrolling the streets to prevent a repeat of Friday’s protests. Before the blasts at the funeral, authorities had sealed off roads in the center of the city, citing the threat of new attacks on large gatherings of people. “We have intelligence reports that our enemies are trying again to carry out attacks on gatherings and demonstrations,” Kabul garrison commander Gul Nabi Ahmadzai said earlier Saturday.
“We hope that people will stay away from protests.”
Kabul has been on edge since the bombing, which highlighted the ability of militants to strike even in the capital’s most secure district, home to the presidential palace and foreign embassies that are enveloped in a maze of concrete blast walls. Residents of the city have demanded answers from the government over the perceived intelligence failure leading to the bombing, which underscores spiraling insecurity in Afghanistan.
The United Nations and a host of international allies have urged the protesters for restraint. “The enemy seeks to manipulate the people’s anger and sadness to create division and sow instability,” the US embassy said in a statement. “Now is the time to stand unified and announce to the enemies that Afghans… will not allow cowards to break the resolve to achieve a stable and peaceful nation. The enemies of Afghanistan cannot win. They will not win.”
