Pakistan condemns Kabul terrorist attack

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan strongly condemned the terrorist bomb attack on a foreigners’ compound in Kabul yesterday, which has led to loss of innocent lives.

“We want to express our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, as we pray for early recovery of the wounded,” a statement by Foreign Office said.

Pakistan has maintained that there is no military solution to the complex issues in Afghanistan.

“We continue to firmly stand together with the Afghan nation and fully support their efforts to restore complete peace in the country.”

A massive explosion rocked central Kabul late Monday, killing at least five people in a Taliban-claimed attack near an international complex while the US special envoy leading talks with the insurgents visited the Afghan capital.

The blast took place in a residential area near Green Village, a large compound that houses aid agencies and international organisations, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.

It came while Afghanistan’s main TV station Tolo News aired an interview with the US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who was discussing a potential deal with the Islamist extremist Taliban that would see the US withdraw forces from five bases across Afghanistan.

Gunfire could be heard in the aftermath of the blast along with a secondary explosion when a nearby petrol station caught fire, sending plumes of smoke into the night sky.

“Five bodies and 50 wounded — all civilians — have so far been evacuated from the area,” Rahimi said, noting the toll could rise.