KABUL (SW): Saturday’s deadly suicide car bombing at the Ministry of Interior in Kabul was widely condemned by the Afghan government, international community and humanitarian groups.
Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), has stated that while the Taliban claim suggested the purpose of the attack was to target police, a massive vehicle bomb in a densely populated area could not reasonably be expected to leave civilians unharmed. “I am particularly disturbed by credible reports that the attackers used a vehicle painted to look like an ambulance, including bearing the distinctive medical emblem, in clear violation of international humanitarian law”.
He has reiterated that under no circumstances are such attacks justifiable, as indiscriminate weapons inevitably cause harm to civilians. He called upon the Taliban to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, at all times. “Today’s attack is nothing short of an atrocity, and those who have organized and enabled it must be brought to justice and held to account”.
Denouncing the ‘inhuman and barbaric terrorism’ against civilians, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has stated Afghanistan is facing an imposed war by terrorist groups whose hideouts and places of support are known. Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah has said the recent surge in similar terrorist attacks are directly linked with the pressure developing on the terrorists and their backers.
The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) has dubbed the attack as ‘unacceptable and unjustifiable’. “The use of an ambulance in today’s attack in Kabul is harrowing. This could amount to perfidy under International Humanitarian Law”.
Dejan Panic, Emergency coordinator in Afghanistan has pronounced the attack as ‘’massacre”.
The U.S, NATO, the U.K and many other countries have also condemned the attack that has killed more than 90 people
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