In Kabul terrorists have struck again in the middle of the capital. In a car loaded with explosives, a suicide bomber approached the poorly secured "Green Village" on Jalalabad Road, a residential area for aliens shielded by multiple walls, then detonated the bomb.
The detonation was heard throughout the city, and immediately afterwards a black column of smoke rose above the city center into the sky. It was a sad reminder that the Afghan capital is far from safe.
Many children among the injured
The balance of the attack is depressing. Four Afghans, three of them policemen, were killed by the detonation, another civilian was also killed. A few hours after the attack, the Interior Ministry reported that up to 90 people, including many children, were seriously injured by the car bomb.
The attack, so at least the first analysis, was the "Green Village". In the hard-to-secure complex, surrounded by high walls and only accessible through several security gates, are the few foreigners staying in Kabul, officials of the EU, the UN or the German Association for International Cooperation (GIZ).
German policemen injured by broken glass
According to SPIEGEL information, the shock wave on Monday afternoon also injured two German police officers, a federal police officer and a police officer from North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to data from security circles, the two Germans were injured by flying glass splinters on the hand and on the eye, but it should be a matter of slight blemishes.
According to initial information, the German police, who support the Afghan security forces on the train of a training project, were at dinner in the secured complex as the bomb exploded. For safety reasons, the German participants in the police mission have been housed in the "Green Village" for quite some time.
No information about the perpetrators
Pictures from the "Green Village" show how violent the explosion was inside the residential area, which is more like a military camp than a hotel. So broke in the cafes and restaurants many glass panes, according to testimonies, the residents were immediately brought in extra secure bunker.
Monday's incident again shows how dangerous any type of relief mission in Afghanistan currently is. Regardless of whether training in army or police training, foreign soldiers or police officers spend much more time on self-defense than on actual training.
Who is behind the attack is so far unclear. The Taliban terror guerrillas, otherwise very quick with letters of confession or Twitter messages about their attacks, remained silent until the evening.