By Zabihullah Tamanna
KABUL, Afghanistan
A deadly suicide truck bombing in Kabul has killed eight people and wounded nearly 400 others early Friday morning, security officials have said.
The attacker targeted a defense ministry intelligence department, but civilians sustained the brunt of the blast.
A health ministry spokesman, Mohammad Ismael Kawoosi, said: "The bodies of eight people and nearly 400 others wounded were evacuated to several hospitals. Thirty of them are in critical condition."
Most of the wounded walked to hospital or were brought in by locals. Reportedly, Afghans lined up at local hospitals after they were asked to donate blood.
Kabul police chief, Gen. Abdul Rahman Rahimi, said the attacker targeted an army base in police district 8 of Kabul city.
The explosion was strong enough to shake the eastern part of Kabul. Most of those killed and injured were women and children as the blast hit a crowded residential area at 1:00 a.m. local time [2030 GMT].
According to locals and Afghan officials, most people were killed and wounded by collapsing walls and flying glass.
Engineer Ahmad Gul, a resident who lost one of his family members, said it was experience akin to the Hiroshima bombing in Japan.
"This is a cruel and barbarous act. When people were asleep, they detonate tons of explosives in a residential area," Gul said.
Today’s incident followed two other attacks Thursday in different parts of the country.
In southern Kandahar province, at least three policemen and five attackers were killed after assailants stormed a police compound in the provincial capital, Kandahar city. The gun battle raged until Friday morning.
On Thursday, another truck bomb attack on governmental buildings in southern Logar province killed six -- three civilians and three policemen -- and wounded 10 others.
Friday’s attack is the third conducted by Taliban militants after announcing the death of their leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, on July 29.
