A suicide vehicle bomb attack close to the Russian embassy i…
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“At least six non-military people were killed in the attack”, Salangi said.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the carnage, the latest in a wave of attacks despite an global push to jumpstart Taliban peace talks. In October, the Taliban designated Tolo News and 1 TV, another Afghan news outlet, “military objectives” and accused them of spreading propaganda.
In recent months, Taliban militants have intensified their attacks on government and foreign targets in Afghanistan.
“The enemy of humanity, peace and Islam martyred our colleagues because they were exposing their crimes”, TOLO news presenter Fawad Aman said in a live broadcast.
Tolo is the most popular TV station in Afghanistan, providing viewers with a mixture of news, current affairs and talk shows, as well as soap operas and other entertainment.
The blast was so powerful that it set fire to a building opposite the Russian Embassy.
Delegations from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the U.S. and China discuss a road-map for ending the war with the Taliban at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, January 18, 2016.
The attack was broadly condemned.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said that four people were killed when a auto bomb was detonated in the west of Kabul on Wednesday, at around 5 p. m. local time.
Formed in the 1990s, the Taliban seeks to enforce Sharia law in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. Sources earlier said that the passengers were government personnel, but other reports indicated they were civilians.
Correspondents say it is the first major attack on an Afghan media organisation since the Taliban were overthrown by US-led forces in 2001.
The Taliban openly threatened to target the station previous year after it reported allegations of summary executions, rape and kidnappings by Taliban fighters during the battle for the city of Kunduz.
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The attacker, riding a motorbike, reportedly targeted a bus carrying employees of a prominent private television channel.
