Afghanistan: Bombs Friday afternoon target Kabul police cadets and airport

This afternoon's bombings came little more than 12 hours after the Friday truck bomb attack in Kabul that occurred a little after midnight. The midnight time, as reported by AFP, is a revision of the 1:00 AM time given in earlier reports. AFP's report, updated 18:46 IST, also revises casualty figures (15 dead, 240 wounded) given by a TOLOnews update (8 dead, 400 wounded) shortly after dawn.  Many of the wounds were inflicted by glass shards from residential windows.  However, it's still too early for an accurate casualty figure.   

Multiple Blasts Rock Kabul, Firing on Near Airport
NDTV (India)
August 08, 2015 00:51 IST

KABUL: A series of blasts rattled Kabul in Afghanistan late on Friday. The first of the evening was a suicide attack near the entrance of the Kabul Police Academy, killing 20 cadets, officials said.

Two other blasts were reported from the near Kabul airport. Gunfire continued after the attack and NATO jets were heard flying overhead.

"The attacker was wearing police uniform. When he detonated his explosives, 20 cadets were killed and 20 more were wounded," said a senior Afghan intelligence official.

The bomber managed to place himself in a queue as police trainees were waiting to be searched before entering the academy, the official added.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that his outfit was behind the attack on the police academy.

The suicide bombing comes less than 24 hours after a truck bomb tore through central Kabul, killing 15 civilians and wounding 240 others, in the first major attack in the Afghan capital since the announcement of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's death.

[END REPORT] 

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