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Causalities include the Kabul Police Chief of Staff Colonel Mohammed Yassin and at least seven others were wounded, among them a small child.

Nov 09, 2014, 01:56PM | Rachel Avraham

Taliban suicide bomber strikes Kabul Police HQ Photo Credit: Reuters/Channel 2

Al Jazeera reported that a suicide bomber exploded himself in the Kabul Police Headquarters, killing Kabul Police Chief General Zaher Zaher’s chief of staff, Colonel Mohammed Yassin and wounding at least seven others. A small child was reportedly among the wounded.

Yahoo News reported that the area is one of the most heavily guarded compounds in Kabul and also houses the offices of the Kabul Provincial Governor, the Appeals Court, and detention centers. It is surrounded by high concrete walls and manned by security personnel. Visitors usually must undergo thorough security checks before reaching the Police Headquarters.

The Taliban took responsibility for this terror attack. Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said on his Twitter account: “This morning at around 9am, a martyrdom attack was carried out by Maulawi Yaya Badakhshani inside Kabul Police Headquarters while foreign advisors and police were meeting.”

Al Jazeera highlighted that Kabul regularly suffers from suicide bombings orchestrated by the Taliban, with the military, police and government officials being the main targets despite increased security measures in the area. For many, this has raised serious questions regarding the ability of the Afghan security forces to cope with the Taliban threat as NATO and US forces play a less active role within the country by the end of this year.

Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, highlighted that this fatal security breach raised questions about how a man “wearing a suicide vest” had managed to break into such a secure area, with some speculating that terrorists managed to infiltrate Afghanistan’s intelligence and security forces.

Sediqqi told Yahoo News, “The man was wearing a civilian suit and had a file in his hand. He was asking the police for directions to the Police Chief’s office; saying that he had papers to deliver to him.” Fortunately, Zaher was not in his office, but Sediqqi emphasized that he was “definitely the target.”

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