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| Bombings at Afghan Defense Ministry Kill at Least 20 in Kabul | Bombings at Afghan Defense Ministry Kill at Least 20 in Kabul |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| KABUL, Afghanistan — Coordinated Taliban bombings targeted the Afghan Defense Ministry in a crowded neighborhood of Kabul on Monday, officials said, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens, among them senior security officials. | KABUL, Afghanistan — Coordinated Taliban bombings targeted the Afghan Defense Ministry in a crowded neighborhood of Kabul on Monday, officials said, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens, among them senior security officials. |
| Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said that an army general and a police colonel in charge of the area’s security were among the dead on Monday. Other officials said the deputy director of President Ashraf Ghani’s elite protection force was also among those killed. | |
| Mr. Sediqqi said that at least 50 people were wounded. A spokesman for the Health Ministry gave different figures, saying at least 24 had been killed and 91 wounded. | Mr. Sediqqi said that at least 50 people were wounded. A spokesman for the Health Ministry gave different figures, saying at least 24 had been killed and 91 wounded. |
| The Defense Ministry is near a crowded bazaar along the Kabul River, and the explosions happened just as official hours were ending and government employees were heading home. The presidential palace as well as several other government agencies are also in the area. | The Defense Ministry is near a crowded bazaar along the Kabul River, and the explosions happened just as official hours were ending and government employees were heading home. The presidential palace as well as several other government agencies are also in the area. |
| Mohammad Radmanish, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said both blasts were caused by suicide bombings. The first bomber detonated his explosives by a bridge outside the entrance to the ministry around 3:30 p.m. | Mohammad Radmanish, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said both blasts were caused by suicide bombings. The first bomber detonated his explosives by a bridge outside the entrance to the ministry around 3:30 p.m. |
| “When people and security forces arrived for help, the second attacker blew himself up among the crowd,” Mr. Radmanish said. | “When people and security forces arrived for help, the second attacker blew himself up among the crowd,” Mr. Radmanish said. |
| Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said in a statement to the news media that his group claimed responsibility for the explosions. The Taliban’s statement said the first blast was caused by placed explosives, while the second one was a suicide bombing. | Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said in a statement to the news media that his group claimed responsibility for the explosions. The Taliban’s statement said the first blast was caused by placed explosives, while the second one was a suicide bombing. |
| The bombing was the latest in a summer-long wave of attacks on government or Western targets in the capital, including a complex attack by gunmen with suicide vests on the American University that killed 13 people a week and a half ago. | The bombing was the latest in a summer-long wave of attacks on government or Western targets in the capital, including a complex attack by gunmen with suicide vests on the American University that killed 13 people a week and a half ago. |
| But the back-to-back explosions on Monday had many in Kabul particularly worried. As rumors circulated about a possible third explosion, the site of the attack remained deserted, with snipers manning rooftops. | |
| The loss of senior security personnel suggested that the Taliban had studied the Afghan forces’ response to their assaults. After most attacks in Kabul and the provinces, senior officials —– sometimes even ministers — rush to the scene. | |
| The Taliban’s repeated assaults on well-protected targets at the heart of the capital have added to the pressure on the already burdened security forces. The insurgency is not their only worry in the chaotic city: In addition to regular crime, they have been stretched by street protests as well as skirmishes between rival political groups. | |
| Even as blood from the bombings was being washed away on Monday, bodyguards for rival strongmen got into a shootout in a different corner of the city. Before the police reached the scene and cordoned off the area, one person was killed and three were wounded. |