Joy Turns to Horror as ISIS Bomber Kills 63 at Kabul Wedding
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The SC
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Sunday, 18 August, 2019 - 11:30
The blast took place late Saturday in the city's west | AFP
London- Asharq Al-Awsat
Joy and celebration turned into horror and carnage when an ISIS suicide bomber targeted a packed Afghan wedding hall, killing at least 63 people in the deadliest attack to rock Kabul in months, officials and witnesses said Sunday.
The massive blast, which took place late Saturday in west Kabul, came as Washington and the Taliban finalize a deal to reduce the US military presence in Afghanistan and hopefully build a roadmap to a ceasefire.
The groom recalled greeting smiling guests in the afternoon, before seeing their bodies being carried out hours later.
The attack "changed my happiness to sorrow", the young man, who gave his name as Mirwais, told local TV station Tolo News.
"My family, my bride are in shock, they cannot even speak. My bride keeps fainting," he said.
"I lost my brother, I lost my friends, I lost my relatives. I will never see happiness in my life again."
Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said a suicide bomber carried out the attack, with at least 63 people killed and 182 injured.
"Among the wounded are women and children," Rahimi said.
Afghan weddings are epic and vibrant affairs, with hundreds or often thousands of guests celebrating for hours inside industrial-scale wedding halls where men are usually segregated from women and children.
"The wedding guests were dancing and celebrating the party when the blast happened," recounted Munir Ahmad, 23, who was seriously injured and whose cousin was among the dead.
"Following the explosion, there was total chaos. Everyone was screaming and crying for their loved ones," he told AFP from his bed in a local hospital, where he was being treated for shrapnel wounds.
Images from inside the hall showed blood-stained bodies on the ground along with pieces of flesh and torn clothes, hats, sandals, and bottles of mineral water. The huge blast ripped parts of the ceiling off.
The ISIS extremist group's Afghan affiliate claimed responsibility for the blast.
Wedding guest Hameed Quresh told AFP the young bride and groom were saying their vows when the bomb went off.
"We fainted following the blast, and we don't know who brought us to the hospital," sobbed Quresh, who lost one brother and was himself wounded.
Another guest told Tolo that some 1,200 people had been invited. With low security, weddings are seen as easy targets.
The attack sent a wave of grief through a city grimly accustomed to atrocities and garnered broad condemnation.
President Ashraf Ghani called it "barbaric", while Afghanistan's chief executive Abdullah Abdullah described it as a "crime against humanity". US ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass called it an act of "extreme depravity".
- Withdrawal deal expected -
The attack underscores both the inadequacy of Afghanistan's security forces and the scale of the problem they face. While the police and army claim they prevent most bombings from ever happening, the fact remains that insurgents pull off horrific attacks with chilling regularity.
On July 28, at least 20 people were killed when attackers targeted Ghani's running mate Amrullah Saleh during presidential election campaigning.
The incident showed how, even amid tight security and known threats, insurgents still conduct brazen attacks.
The issue also goes to the heart of a prospective deal between the US and the Taliban that would see Washington begin to withdraw its approximately 14,000 soldiers from Afghanistan.
The deal relies on Taliban guarantees they will stop jihadist groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS from using Afghanistan as a safe haven.
Saturday's attack suggests any such promise would be tough to keep.
The "Taliban cannot absolve themselves of blame, for they provide platform for terrorists," Ghani said.
Few believe such a deal will bring quick peace and Afghans fear the Taliban could return, eroding hard-won rights for women in particular and leading to a spiraling civil war.
Meanwhile, in the northern province of Balkh, 11 members of the same family were killed when their car hit a roadside bomb, officials said. The provincial governor blamed the Taliban for planting the device.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1861716/joy-turns-horror-isis-bomber-kills-63-kabul-wedding
The blast took place late Saturday in the city's west | AFP
London- Asharq Al-Awsat
Joy and celebration turned into horror and carnage when an ISIS suicide bomber targeted a packed Afghan wedding hall, killing at least 63 people in the deadliest attack to rock Kabul in months, officials and witnesses said Sunday.
The massive blast, which took place late Saturday in west Kabul, came as Washington and the Taliban finalize a deal to reduce the US military presence in Afghanistan and hopefully build a roadmap to a ceasefire.
The groom recalled greeting smiling guests in the afternoon, before seeing their bodies being carried out hours later.
The attack "changed my happiness to sorrow", the young man, who gave his name as Mirwais, told local TV station Tolo News.
"My family, my bride are in shock, they cannot even speak. My bride keeps fainting," he said.
"I lost my brother, I lost my friends, I lost my relatives. I will never see happiness in my life again."
Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said a suicide bomber carried out the attack, with at least 63 people killed and 182 injured.
"Among the wounded are women and children," Rahimi said.
Afghan weddings are epic and vibrant affairs, with hundreds or often thousands of guests celebrating for hours inside industrial-scale wedding halls where men are usually segregated from women and children.
"The wedding guests were dancing and celebrating the party when the blast happened," recounted Munir Ahmad, 23, who was seriously injured and whose cousin was among the dead.
"Following the explosion, there was total chaos. Everyone was screaming and crying for their loved ones," he told AFP from his bed in a local hospital, where he was being treated for shrapnel wounds.
Images from inside the hall showed blood-stained bodies on the ground along with pieces of flesh and torn clothes, hats, sandals, and bottles of mineral water. The huge blast ripped parts of the ceiling off.
The ISIS extremist group's Afghan affiliate claimed responsibility for the blast.
Wedding guest Hameed Quresh told AFP the young bride and groom were saying their vows when the bomb went off.
"We fainted following the blast, and we don't know who brought us to the hospital," sobbed Quresh, who lost one brother and was himself wounded.
Another guest told Tolo that some 1,200 people had been invited. With low security, weddings are seen as easy targets.
The attack sent a wave of grief through a city grimly accustomed to atrocities and garnered broad condemnation.
President Ashraf Ghani called it "barbaric", while Afghanistan's chief executive Abdullah Abdullah described it as a "crime against humanity". US ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass called it an act of "extreme depravity".
- Withdrawal deal expected -
The attack underscores both the inadequacy of Afghanistan's security forces and the scale of the problem they face. While the police and army claim they prevent most bombings from ever happening, the fact remains that insurgents pull off horrific attacks with chilling regularity.
On July 28, at least 20 people were killed when attackers targeted Ghani's running mate Amrullah Saleh during presidential election campaigning.
The incident showed how, even amid tight security and known threats, insurgents still conduct brazen attacks.
The issue also goes to the heart of a prospective deal between the US and the Taliban that would see Washington begin to withdraw its approximately 14,000 soldiers from Afghanistan.
The deal relies on Taliban guarantees they will stop jihadist groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS from using Afghanistan as a safe haven.
Saturday's attack suggests any such promise would be tough to keep.
The "Taliban cannot absolve themselves of blame, for they provide platform for terrorists," Ghani said.
Few believe such a deal will bring quick peace and Afghans fear the Taliban could return, eroding hard-won rights for women in particular and leading to a spiraling civil war.
Meanwhile, in the northern province of Balkh, 11 members of the same family were killed when their car hit a roadside bomb, officials said. The provincial governor blamed the Taliban for planting the device.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1861716/joy-turns-horror-isis-bomber-kills-63-kabul-wedding
masterchief_mirza
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Wow what a shocker. Just as USA prepares to finalize its withdrawal plan, the CIA asset magically strikes. USA will have to stay now.
Does anyone seriously doubt that ISIS is a deep Zionist/Evangelist state puppet? Truly, the "conspiracy theory" is actually the ridiculous belief that ISIS is an independent Islamist terror organization determined to construct a new caliphate.
The decisions they make and the timings of their attacks serve zero purpose towards their mainstream purported agenda. Everything they do is counterproductive to any notion of a caliphate or ummah chummah. Their actions ONLY serve the interests of a certain clique.
Does anyone seriously doubt that ISIS is a deep Zionist/Evangelist state puppet? Truly, the "conspiracy theory" is actually the ridiculous belief that ISIS is an independent Islamist terror organization determined to construct a new caliphate.
The decisions they make and the timings of their attacks serve zero purpose towards their mainstream purported agenda. Everything they do is counterproductive to any notion of a caliphate or ummah chummah. Their actions ONLY serve the interests of a certain clique.
Pakistan Space Agency
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The world doesn't care.
Poor Afghanistan promised to isolate Pakistan internationally with Indian help but ended up isolating itself.
Poor Afghanistan promised to isolate Pakistan internationally with Indian help but ended up isolating itself.
Handshake
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I want to share my view on here and i hope our sleepy officers should take this threat seriously otherwise it will be too late.
Taliban didn't took responsibility of this attack but ISIS do.so it means Someone is trying hard to sabotage afghan peace deal.
Afghan namak haram officials openly blaming Pakistan and brain washing illiterate stupid afghani that Pakistan is Helping ISIS and killing Afghani.but for a moment let put Afghan pupets aside.
what is our strategy for ISIS which is now heavily active in Afghanistan and fighting with taliban and a huge threat to us,so what if they turn to Pakistan then what we gonna do? it's a serious threat and we should not take it easy.
We need to talk to china Russia afghan Gov and Iran to counter this cancer together,other wise number by number they will cause huge damage to us and other neighbour country.
A huge planning is awaiting once american troops withdrawal.
May Allah have mercy on us.
Taliban didn't took responsibility of this attack but ISIS do.so it means Someone is trying hard to sabotage afghan peace deal.
Afghan namak haram officials openly blaming Pakistan and brain washing illiterate stupid afghani that Pakistan is Helping ISIS and killing Afghani.but for a moment let put Afghan pupets aside.
what is our strategy for ISIS which is now heavily active in Afghanistan and fighting with taliban and a huge threat to us,so what if they turn to Pakistan then what we gonna do? it's a serious threat and we should not take it easy.
We need to talk to china Russia afghan Gov and Iran to counter this cancer together,other wise number by number they will cause huge damage to us and other neighbour country.
A huge planning is awaiting once american troops withdrawal.
May Allah have mercy on us.
hussain0216
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Don't care about afghans
They wanted to be our enemies
They wanted to be our enemies
Hakikat ve Hikmet
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President Trump is dead set on the Afgan peace process!!! He has sniffed money!!! Whoever opposes him will find him in his receiving end...
maximuswarrior
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That is a very eloquent way of describing the situation.
Neither should we, as soon as US will left we all know there will be another civil war. Kabul is not only incapable but extremely incompetent to deal with any issue and once Taliban are back at throne of power, these clowns have little to no power.
ISIS is indeed a very complicating factor, and post US withdrawal there will be unprecedented violence. And knowing the stupid Afghan mindset of blaming everything on Pakistan, things might get complicated for us. We must work on sealing the border even at a faster pace, and let Afghans do to each other as they see fit. I have little to no sympathy left for these thankless back stabbers, let them rot with their caveman culture and society.
maximuswarrior
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Close the border and mass repatriate Afghan scum.
obj 705A
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ISIS is not the core problem in Afghanistan, first they were called AlQaeda then ISIS after that they may change their name again, the core problem in Afghanistan is religious extremism, and to make matters worse the Afghan society is so conservative that any attempt by a president to reform the society to make it less conservative thus reducing the chances of people becoming terrorists would immediatley face a significant popular opposition who would accuse him of undermining Islam.
Afganistan is in dire need for an Ataturk and/or reeducation camps, however since we know that the extremely conservative Afghan society will never ever accept it so then what is the solution to the issue of terrorism in Afghanistan? well there is NO SOLUTION, Afghans will have to learn to live with terrorism and if any one of them doesn't like it then they should start working on getting out of Afghanistan as soon as possible.
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