News / Afghanistan

Spanish premier says Kabul blast was 'attack on Spain'

Saturday, 12 December 2015 4:55 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 12 December 2015 4:55 PM ]

British soldiers carry the body of a victim into an ambulance after a car bomb attack near the Spanish embassy compound in the Afghan capital, Kabul, December 12, 2015. (AFP photo)

A recent bomb attack in a diplomatic area of the Afghan capital that killed at least six people including two Spanish policemen was “an attack on Spain,” says the government in Madrid.

Spanish Prime Minster Mariano Rajoy confirmed that at least two policemen were killed in the car bombing carried out by the Taliban militants against foreign guesthouses near the Spanish embassy in Kabul on Friday.

The Spanish premier denied that the embassy itself was the target of the assault.

The huge explosion was followed by gunfire. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said an "invader's guesthouse" was the target, because it was being used for military activities and intelligence sharing.

"We had been watching it for a long time and finally attacked it today," Mujahid said, adding, "It started with one of our men blowing up an explosives-laden car allowing others to enter the facility. A number of foreigners were present inside the building."

Kabul’s central area of Sherpur hosts embassies and diplomatic buildings.

An Afghan security official stands alert at the site of a car bomb attack near the Spanish embassy compound in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 12, 2015. (AFP photo)

At least four Afghan soldiers and two Spanish security officers were killed in the incident.

Afghanistan is gripped by insecurity years after the United States and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. Although the Taliban militant group was removed from power as a result of the invasion, many areas in the country are still threatened by insecurity.

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