Dozens killed as explosion rocks western Kabul

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At least 40 people were killed and 30 wounded in a suicide attack on the Tebyan center in Pule Sokhtia area of Kabul on Thursday morning, said Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry.

ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack, the militant group’s agency Amaq said in an online statement, but offered no evidence.

Most of the victims were civilians, and the wounded have been taken to the hospital, including a number of patients in critical condition.

An Afghan man mourns inside a hospital compound after a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 28, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The attack occurred during a morning panel discussion on the 38th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Sunni-majority Afghanistan at the Tabian Social and Cultural Center, with students making up most of the attendees, reported Reuters, citing witnesses.

The initial suicide blast was followed by two more explosions that did not cause casualties, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi.

After a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 28, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The center also houses the Afghan Voice Agency (AVA), a media outlet which reports suggested could have been the target.

People inside a hospital compound after a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 28, 2017. /Reuters Photo‍

President Ashraf Ghani's spokesman issued a statement calling the attack an "unpardonable" crime against humanity and pledging to destroy terrorist groups.

The attack, the latest in a series to hit the Afghan capital, follows a suicide bomb attack near the compound of Afghanistan's intelligence agency that killed five people on Monday.

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