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TALIBAN MASSACRE

Horror as at least 95 killed and 158 injured by car bomb hidden inside ambulance in Kabul

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack which saw the hidden bomb detonated at a police checkpoint in the Afghan capital.

A BOMB hidden in an ambulance killed at least 95 people and wounded approximately 158 after it was detonated at a police checkpoint.

The terror attack took place today in the Afghan capital Kabul in an area close to foreign embassies and government buildings.

 Smoke seen rising from the car bomb that killed more than 95 people in Kabul today
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Smoke seen rising from the car bomb that killed more than 95 people in Kabul todayCredit: EPA

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the bombing which comes just a week after it carried out an attack on a hotel in the same city.

The targeted the Intercontinental Hotel in which more than 22 people, including 14 foreign nationals, were killed.

Around 150 guests fled the mass shooting with some escaping the hotel by using bedsheets to climb down from windows.

The US state department said multiple American citizens were killed and injured in the attack.

Emergency services rush to the scene of a suicide car bomb attack in Afghan capital Kabul
 Victims lying on the floor following the blast in an area of the city close to foreign embassies
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Victims lying on the floor following the blast in an area of the city close to foreign embassiesCredit: Getty - Contributor
 The Afghan government said 150 victims were being treated in the city's hospitals
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The Afghan government said 150 victims were being treated in the city's hospitalsCredit: AFP or licensors
 The number of injured is expected to rise as ambulances bring in more victims
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The number of injured is expected to rise as ambulances bring in more victimsCredit: AFP or licensors
 The bomb was hidden in an ambulance and detonated near a police checkpoint
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The bomb was hidden in an ambulance and detonated near a police checkpointCredit: EPA
 The explosion was powerful enough to shake buildings and create smoke visible across the city
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The explosion was powerful enough to shake buildings and create smoke visible across the cityCredit: Reuters

The Italian Aid group Emergency told followers on Twitter that today's blast was "a massacre".

A spokesman from the public health ministry said 95 people were dead and 158 wounded had been brought to hospitals in the city.

However, the figures are expected to rise as ambulances are continuing to bring in more victims.

Mirwais Yasini, a member of parliament who was nearby when the explosion happened, said the ambulance approached the checkpoint and blew up.

 At least 158 people were injured in the blast carried out by the Taliban
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At least 158 people were injured in the blast carried out by the TalibanCredit: Reuters
 The terror group's attack came just a week after they killed 22 at a hotel in the Afghan capital
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The terror group's attack came just a week after they killed 22 at a hotel in the Afghan capitalCredit: Reuters
 A man being treated for his wounds following the blast
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A man being treated for his wounds following the blastCredit: Reuters
 The injured had to be treated on the floor as the hospitals became overcrowded
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The injured had to be treated on the floor as the hospitals became overcrowdedCredit: AFP or licensors

He said he saw a number of people lying on the ground and that others helped the wounded away from the scene.

A plume of grey smoke rose from the blast area in the city centre and buildings hundreds of metres away were shaken by the force of the explosion.

 

Another terrorist attack rocked the city in December when a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a Shiite cultural centre in Kabul.

It killed at least 41 people in an attack claimed by Isis that may have been aimed at a pro-Iran news outlet based in the building.

Isis are predominantly backed by people of the Sunni branch of Islam who consider Shiite's to be non-believers.


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