Casualties feared after blast at Kabul airport checkpoint

Policemen stand at the site of a car bomb blast at the entrance gate to the Kabul airport. Ahmad Masood / Reuters

KABUL // At least five people were killed Monday when a Taliban suicide car bomber struck near the entrance of Kabul’s international airport, the latest in a wave of lethal bombings in the Afghan capital.

The Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the blast, have stepped up attacks amid a bitter leadership transition following the announcement of the death of their leader Mullah Omar.

Observers say the upsurge in violence represents a bid by new leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour to distract attention from the crisis as planned peace talks falter.

“The explosion occurred at the first checkpoint of Kabul airport,” said Sayed Gul Agha Rouhan, the deputy Kabul police chief.

Five civilians were killed and 16 wounded including children, said Kabul police spokesman Ebadullah Karimi.

The toll was confirmed by Kabul CID chief Fraidoon Obaidi, who said the explosion was caused by a suicide car bomb.

Smoke billowed from the scene of the explosion, where passengers undergo the first round of body checks before entering the airport.

Ambulances rushed to the area and were seen removing bodies.

Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said two vehicles belonging to foreign coalition forces were the target of the attack.

The attack follows a barrage of deadly bombings in the capital on Friday as the insurgency escalates following a bitter power transition within the Taliban.

The blasts on Friday struck near an army complex, a police academy and a US special forces base, killing at least 51 people, officials said.

They were the first major attacks since Mullah Akhtar Mansour was named as the new Taliban chief last week in an acrimonious power transition after the insurgents confirmed the death of Mullah Omar.

* Agence France-Presse