Afghanistan: Car bomb explodes targeting peace affairs ministry official in Kabul

A car bomb exploded at Kabul PD10 during the wee hours of February 1 near the office of Saadat Mansoor Naderi, Afghanistan's Minister of State for Peace Affairs. As per news agency ANI report, the security officials have informed that the blast was targeting an armoured vehicle that belonged to the head of Naderi’s office, Khushnood Nabizadeh in the Afghanistan capital. The incident reportedly took place at around 7:26 AM (local time) on Monday in the  Shaheed roundabout in Kabul' PD10 after Nabizada's vehicle hit by an IED.

The law enforcement has reported that there were no casualties in the blast even though  Nabizada and two of his children, were inside the car at the time car bomb exploded. The relatives of Naderi’s head of the office have reportedly confirmed that no one from his family including the driver was hurt. Monday’s explosion came after gunmen fired on a car in northern Kabul earlier this month and killed two women judges who worked for Afghanistan’s high court, injuring the driver. It was also the latest attack in the Afghan capital during ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government officials in Qatar.

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US, NATO Allies 'strongly condemn' Taliban violence

The latest car bomb explosion in Kabul occurred a day after the United States along with its NATO allies on January 31 “strongly condemned” the continuation of violence, including the destruction of vital infrastructure in Afghanistan by the Taliban. A joint statement published by the US Embassy in Kabul said, “The international community has invested heavily in energy, food security, water resources, and road infrastructure for the benefit of the Afghan people. We condemn the on-going destruction of vital infrastructure, including digging up roads, destroying cell towers, and blowing up energy stations by the Taliban.”

“These actions serve no purpose besides hurting the Afghan people who – largely due to decades of conflict -suffer from food insecurity and significant economic and development challenges, further exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic. The Taliban must understand that their violent, destructive actions outrage the world and must cease if peace is to come to Afghanistan,” it added.

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Image:  Saadat Mansoor Naderi/Twitter