KABUL Afghanistan
The death toll from a suicide bomb attack on a wedding reception in
Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, has risen to 80, two senior officials said on
Wednesday.
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| Afghan men dig grave during a mass funeral after a suicide bomb blast at a wedding in Kabul, Afghanistan August 18, 2019 |
The initial death toll after the
Saturday night blast was 63, but some of the wounded had died, said Nasrat
Rahimi, a spokesman at the interior ministry.
“Seventeen others have succumbed to
their injuries in hospital and over 160 are still being treated either in
hospitals or at home,” Rahimi said.
Among the 160 people wounded at the
wedding blast, many are in critical condition, some not well enough to undergo
surgery, said a second senior interior ministry official.
The Islamic State (IS) militant group
claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mirwais Elmi Mohammadi, the
26-year-old groom whose wedding party was attacked, said he was in a complete
state of disbelief and had no mental strength to attend the funerals of his
relatives and friends.
“To see family members die, or get
injured at my wedding is a very heavy burden of grief and regret,” Mohammadi
told Reuters.
Many Afghans have canceled or scaled
back plans for weddings and other festivities in recent days and are demanding
that the government tightens security to protect society.
At least 3,812 civilians were killed
or wounded in the first half of 2019 in the war against militant groups,
including a big increase in the number of casualties caused by government and
foreign forces, the United Nations said in July.
Police said more than 25 weddings had
been postponed in Kabul after the latest suicide attack renewed fears about the
threat posed by IS at a time when the United States and the Taliban appear to
be nearing a deal on a U.S. troop withdrawal.
“We pay taxes to the government and
it is the responsibility of the government to provide us with high security. We
have the right to be protected,” said Mohammad Nader Qarghaie, head of the
union of wedding halls.
The union, which has more than 100
wedding halls and large banquet rooms as members.
A frustrated Mohammad Ashraf, who
owns a food catering business in Kabul, said civilians had to be protected.
“Afghans are being used as pawns by
all foreign countries and militant groups to prove their strength,” Ashraf
said.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald
Trump said the U.S. military role in Afghanistan has basically turned into a
“ridiculous” police force in a sign that he was open to a U.S. troop drawdown
after a deal with the Taliban.
U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan
Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been leading talks with the Taliban, is expected in
Qatar on Wednesday to resume meetings with Taliban negotiators.
He is later due to travel to Kabul to
meet Afghan leaders. - Reuters
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