1 July 2019 Kabul attack

On 1 July 2019, a combined gun and bomb attack took place in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood of Kabul. The attackers initially detonated a bomb-laden truck, after which five gunmen entered a nearby under-construction building and fired on Afghan security personnel evacuating people on the street. At least 45 people were killed,^[1] including 5 attackers,^[2] and over a hundred wounded.

July 2019 Kabul attack
Part of War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Kabul Kabul (Afghanistan)
Location	Kabul, Afghanistan
Date	1 July 2019
Target	Defense Ministry building
Attack type	Mass murder, car bombing, mass shooting
Weapons	Car bomb, guns
Deaths	40[1] (+5)
Injured	105+
Perpetrators	Taliban

The attack occurred during the ongoing Taliban-United States peace talks in Doha, Qatar.^[3] In the days before the attack, the militant group carried out multiple deadly attacks on security forces all across the country.^[4]

The attack happened in two stages. The first was the detonation of a truck or minibus bomb, packed full of explosives, in central Kabul. The explosion happened in the Puli Mahmood Khan area of the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood during rush hour. The area houses many government, diplomatic and military buildings and installations.^[5] The blast was powerful, shaking buildings up to 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away,^[6] sending a plume of smoke in the air and destroying many cars and buildings. At least 51 students were injured during the blast, which damaged two nearby schools and shattered windows of three others.^[7][8][9] The Pashto media organization Shamshad TV said their office was hit by the blast, with one security guard killed and several journalists wounded.^[10] The TV station aired images of broken glass and the damage to its office in the aftermath of the bombing.^[11] The Afghan Football Federation building, located nearby, was also damaged, with multiple players injured.^[5] According to the New York Times, 40 people were killed in the car bombing, 34 civilians and 6 security forces.^[1]

After the explosion, five attackers entered a nearby under-construction building and opened fire on security personnel in the street, sparking a gunfight.^[12] The shootout lasted for over 7 hours, until all 5 attackers were killed by responders.^[2]

The Taliban militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it attacked "the defence ministry’s technical installation".^[13]

Many of the people wounded in the attack were taken into local hospitals, including many schoolchildren. Social media images reportedly showed some of the children in the hospital still holding books and wearing school uniforms.^[14] After the attack, many local residents and lawmakers criticized security and intelligence agencies, demanding to know how a truck full of explosives and five attackers managed to enter the area, which contains many secure buildings and compounds, among them the United States embassy and the Kabul Presidential Palace.^[15]

Reactions

The U.S. condemned a deadly car bombing Monday in Afghanistan's capital. The U.S. "condemns in the strongest terms today’s heinous terrorist attack, claimed by the Taliban, in which Afghan civilians and security personnel were killed and severely wounded," the White House said in a statement. "This brazen attack demonstrates the Taliban’s callous disregard for their fellow Afghans, who have repeatedly voiced the urgency of finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict,", they added.^[16]