Afghan bombing
Afghan men carry an injured person to a hospital after a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan November 20, 2018. Image Credit: REUTERS

Highlights

  • 50 killed instantly following suicide bomb attack targeted a meeting of top clerics in Kabul on Tuesday
  • Another 70 people were wounded in the blast, according to health ministry
  • Bomb attack tagetted gathering of religious leaders, including members of the Ulema Council, at Uranus Wedding Palace
  • The place also hosts political and religious functions
  • Suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of the gathering                           

Kabul: At least 50 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a meeting of top clerics in Kabul yesterday, officials said, in one of the deadliest attacks to strike the Afghan capital in months.

Another 70 people were wounded in the blast, health ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said, which targeted a gathering of religious leaders, including members of the Ulema Council, at a wedding hall to mark the Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) birthday.

“The suicide bomber detonated himself inside the hall during a ceremony by religious scholars,” Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said, confirming the casualty toll.

A manager of Uranus Wedding Palace, which also hosts political and religious functions, told AFP a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of the gathering of religious scholars.