11 killed, 14 wounded as suicide attack rocks Kabul airport

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At least 11 people were killed and 14 wounded at the entrance to Kabul international airport on Sunday, TOLO news reported, as scores gathered to welcome home Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum from exile.

Afghan soldiers carry an injured man after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 22, 2018. /VCG Photo‍

According to Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai, the blast went off near the main airport entrance right after Dostum’s convoy left the airport. "The number of casualties may rise," he said.

According to Dostum's spokesman Bashir Ahmad Tayanj, Dostum, clad in a Western suit and sunglasses and travelling in an armored vehicle, was unharmed.

Afghan residents walk past a banner with the image of self-exiled Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum ahead of his arrival to Kabul, July 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

Dostum was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey where he has lived since May 2017. Thousands of Dostum's supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, shuttering election and government offices and blocking sections of highways to demand the release of a pro-government militia leader and call for Dostum's return.

(With input from AFP)

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