| 7 August 2019 Kabul bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of War in Afghanistan (2001–present) | |
  Bombing site Bombing site (Afghanistan) Show map of Afghanistan Bombing site Bombing site (Kabul) Show map of Kabul | |
| Location | Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Coordinates | 34°29′50″N 69°06′51″E / 34.49722°N 69.11417°E / 34.49722; 69.11417 |
| Date | 7 August 2019 (2019-08-07) 09:00 (AFT; UTC+04:30) |
| Target | A police station and a military training school in west Kabul |
Attack type | Suicide car bombing |
| Deaths | 14 |
| Injured | 145 |
| Perpetrators |  Taliban |
Asuicide car bomb exploded at a security checkpoint outside a police station in the Afghanistan capital, Kabul, on 7 August 2019.[1] The explosion occurred in the early morning, in a predominantly Shia neighbourhood in western Kabul.[2] At least 14 people were killed and 145 injured, mostly civilians.[3] The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, citing that one of their suicide bombers attacked "a recruitment centre".[1] The attack occurred as ongoing negotiations between the Taliban and the United States were being conducted.[2]
Following the September 11 attacks, the United States requested that the Taliban hand over Osama bin Laden, the leader of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda.[4] After the Taliban refused, the US and other nations invaded Afghanistan.[5][6] The Taliban still has control over 59 districts.[7]
Over the years, the US has negotiated with the Taliban to end the war, with a likely solution that involves the withdrawal of US troops before the 2020 US presidential election being proposed in July and August 2019.[8] Despite these ongoing peace negotiations, the Taliban has targeted civilians that would participate in the 2019 Afghan presidential election[9] in various attacks carried out in the first half of 2019. The group has threatened to disrupt the elections on August 6, calling the elections "worthless" because they have no legitimacy.[10]
This is not the first time in which a police station was targeted. In April 2019, a large attack was carried out by the Taliban in western Afghanistan in which 30 soldiers and police officers were killed.[11] A similar event occurred on July 27, 2019, when a suicide bomb near a police headquarters in Ghazni Province killed three police officers and wounded 12.[12] The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has stated that the month of July 2019 was the deadliest in Afghanistan since May 2017 due to a rise in civilian casualties.[13]
The military training school that was targeted also served as a recruitment center for security forces.[3]
The bomb was detonated around 9:00 am AFT on August 7, 2019, when a vehicle targeted the gates of District 6 police headquarters.[14] The vehicle was stopped at a security checkpoint outside the building. The police headquarters was located in Golaee Dawa Khana, a Shi’ite neighborhood.[15] The police headquarters and a military training school were the main targets. The explosion left thick smoke in the sky and formed a large crater. The police station, a nearby military training school, and all windows in a radius of a mile were destroyed.[16]
The explosion left 14 people dead, including four police officers, and 145 wounded, mostly women and children; 92 of the wounded were civilians.[17] Two of the attackers were killed, however one was arrested. The bomb used has been identified as a car bomb, with the Taliban claiming that a larger truck bomb was used instead.[18] The attack occurred days before the Islamic holiday of Eid Al Adha.[19]
