Bomb attack on Indian mission in Kabul more powerful than July 2008: Sources
New Delhi:
The blast that occurred outside Indian Embassy in Kabul this morning was more powerful than the last year's
blast, sources here said. According to them, the blast created a "deeper crater"
than the July 7, 2008 blast in which 41 people, including an army brigadier and
a foreign service officer was killed and about 150 people were injured. Earlier
in the day, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao in New Delhi and India's Ambassador
to Afghanistan Jayant Prasad had said that the intensity of the blast was similar
to last year's explosion. No embassy staff is killed in the attack but three ITBP
personnel deployed received minor injuries. Officials of the Indian embassy present
inside the mission during the attack have told ANI over phone that the intensity
of the blast was so much that majority of the doors and windows are destroyed
and shattered. At least 17 people have been killed and more than 60 injured in
the explosion. According to government sources, India is taking this issue "very
seriously" and will launch a deep investigation of the event. Sympathizing with
the families of the Afghan nationals killed in the bombing, New Delhi expressed
its appreciation of the bravery shown by Afghan soldiers who had intercepted the
bomb laden car physically at the embassy's front gate, thus averting a bigger
catastrophe.
