At least 14 killed in bomb blast took place near Kabul airport; Afghan VP Abdul Rashid Dostum escapes narrowly

NewsBharati    23-Jul-2018
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Kabul July 23: At least 14 people were killed and a dozen others were injured after a suicide bomber detonated himself near Kabul airport in Afghanistan on Sunday. Afghan Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum narrowly escaped from the attack as returned home after living in Turkey for more than a year.
 
 

Notably, a suicide bomber detonated himself near the main entrance of Kabul airport where supporters had been waiting to greet of Afghan Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum as his motorcade passed on its way to the city centre. In the deadly attack, 14 people were killed while 50 others including both civilians and military forces personnel were injured. However, the number of casualties may rise.

Afghan VP Abdul Rashid Dostum was fortunate to narrowly escape the attack as he returned home from more than a year in exile in Turkey over allegations of torturing and abusing a political rival. He had left the airport in a motorcade only minutes before the explosion.

The Islamic States of Iraq and Syria's (ISIS) local affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack on its Amaaq News Agency website. Meanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in a statement, strongly condemned the attack.

Afghan VP Abdul Rashid Dostum left Afghanistan in 2017 after the attorney general's office launched an investigation into allegations that his followers had tortured and sexually abused a former ally turned political rival. He has since reportedly been barred by the government from returning to Afghanistan.

Dostum was in Turkey for medical treatment. Dostum, accused of war crimes committed after the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, has also been criticized by the United States for human rights abuses.