Afghan Capital Bomb Targets Vice President, Kills 10 Civilians

By Staff, Agencies

A bombing in the Afghan capital Wednesday targeted the convoy of the country’s first vice president, killing 10 people and wounding more than a dozen others, including several of the vice president’s bodyguards, the Interior Ministry said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing and the Taliban quickly denied they were behind the attack.

First Vice President Amrullah Saleh suffered minor burns in the blast.

Saleh, who is also Afghanistan’s former intelligence chief, said in his first television appearance immediately after the attack that he was fine and had sustained only slight burns. He appeared in the TV footage with bandages on one hand.

"Me and my younger son who was also with me are fine," Saleh said in the footage. "I have slight burns on my face and hand from the wave of the blast. I don’t have exact details right now, but I apologize to those who suffered casualties and those who lost their property in the attack."

His spokesman, Razwan Murad, called the attack a "vicious terrorist attempt" on Saleh's life. The roads in the vicinity of the bombing were closed off.

The Interior Ministry said the bomb went off as Saleh’s convoy was passing through a section of Kabul with shops that sell gas cylinders for use in heating homes and cooking. The blast ignited a fire that set ablaze a number of the shops.

The blast left behind a scene of destruction - at least 10 shops were smoldering in the aftermath of the explosion that had also shattered windows of dozens of nearby homes, some with doors hanging off their hinges. Cars were wrecked and debris was scattered around.

The Interior Ministry's spokesman, Tariq Arian, confirmed to The Associated Press earlier that the bombing targeted Saleh's convoy.

Initially, Arian said at least two civilians died but the death toll later rose to 10. The ministry said at least 15 people were wounded.

Taliban terrorist group’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed was quick to deny the insurgents were involved in any way, saying that "today’s explosion in Kabul has nothing to do with the Mujahedeen of the Islamic Emirate," as the Taliban call themselves.