14 dead in suicide attack outside Kabul political gathering

KABUL: A suicide attacker blew himself up outside a political gathering in Kabul killing at least 14 people, officials said Thursday, highlighting the deepening divisions in the war-torn country.
The deadly attack, claimed by the Islamic State group in a brief message via its Amaq propaganda agency, was the latest to hit the Afghan capital, where insurgents have been stepping up assaults in a devastating show of force. Supporters of Atta Mohammad Noor, the powerful governor of the northern province of Balkh and a vocal critic of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, had been holding an event inside a wedding hall at the time of the blast. Noor was not at the gathering, one of his aides told AFP. Ghani issued a statement condemning the attack as a “criminal act”. The bomber tried to enter the building but was stopped at the security checkpoint where he detonated his device, Kabul police spokesman Abdul Basir Mujahid told AFP. “A number of our police personnel are among the casualties,” Mujahid said.
“As a result of today’s suicide attack eight police and six civilians have been killed while a further 18 have been wounded.” Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish had earlier put the death toll at nine, including seven policemen and two civilians.
“The bomber detonated himself after he was identified by the police at the entrance gate,” Danish said. “After lunch as we were exiting the hall a huge explosion shook the hall, shattering glass and causing chaos and panic,” Harun Mutaref, who was at the gathering, told AFP.
“I saw many bodies including police and civilians lying in blood.” Mohammad Farhad Azimi, a member of parliament and supporter of Noor, said he saw “many casualties”. “Some of my bodyguards have been injured,” he added. An AFP photographer said the windows of the wedding hall had been shattered by the force of the blast and a vehicle parked outside was on fire.