The bomber managed to place himself in a queue as police trainees were waiting to be searched before entering the academy, the official said.
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“Last night’s attack was a cowardly terrorist attack against civilians”, presidential spokesman Sayed Zafar Hashemi told reporters.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which come as the Afghan Taliban step up their annual summer offensive despite a bitter power transition within the militant movement.
Official casualty figures have not been released, but security officials said more than 60 people were killed or wounded in the blast that struck close to the academy’s entrance in a crowded area.
The president’s office said 47 women and 33 children were among the casualties. One resident – who was clearly traumatized after her house sustained serious damage in the blast, said two of her sons were injured – one of whom was asleep at the time of the incident.
Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, reiterated the world body’s repeated calls for the immediate ban of weapons which kill and maim indiscriminately, and to cease attacks in civilian-populated areas.
Ghani promised a rapid and forceful response to the Friday attack, which he said was aimed at diverting public attention from the Taliban’s leadership struggle.
The suicide bombing is the second major attack in the city, coming less than 24 hours after a truck bomb was detonated in central Kabul, killing 15 civilians and injuring 240 others. So far this year, 1,591 civilians have been killed and 3,329 injured, with a sharp rise in the number of women and children victims, reports Dawn.
The Taliban has chosen Omar’s deputy Mullah Akhtar Mansoor as its new leader, but he is facing opposition from senior leaders within the Islamist group and they have refused to swear allegiance to Mansoor.
“Peace negotiators need someone to talk to”, he said.
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The peace talks were indefinitely postponed following the announcement of Mullah Omar’s death.
