Casualties from Tuesday's Explosion in Kabul Rise to 64

On Wednesday, April 1, the spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Interior announced that the casualties from the attack on Tuesday in Kabul have reached 64 dead and 347 injured. This number is double the previous police estimates. According to Reuters, Sediq Sediqi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, stated that the majority of the victims of this attack, which targeted a building of Afghanistan's security agencies in the central governmental and diplomatic area of Kabul, are civilians. The explosion, for which the Taliban quickly claimed responsibility, is the deadliest of its kind since 2011 and occurred just days after the Taliban announced the start of their spring offensive. The attack began around 9 AM during the busiest commuting hours. A suicide bomber detonated a vehicle filled with explosives in front of the National Directorate of Security building in Afghanistan. Following the explosion, one or more armed attackers began shooting and engaged with security forces, resembling patterns of other attacks in Kabul and other Afghan cities. The occurrence of this attack confirms the concerns expressed by the United Nations, which in a report a few days ago stated that the escalation of armed conflicts in urban areas has led to a significant increase in civilian casualties during the first quarter of this year. The Associated Press also reports that the death toll from this attack rose from 28 on Tuesday night to 64 by Wednesday. General Abdul Rahman Rahimi, the police chief of Kabul, stated at a press conference that two investigative teams have been assigned to examine the attack. He added that most of the victims are civilians, including women and children. The attackers targeted one of the security agencies responsible for protecting senior officials of the country. General Rahimi mentioned that initial reports indicate that this attack was planned outside the borders of our country. This is a method often used by Afghan officials to attribute attacks to the Pakistani government, which Afghanistan accuses of harboring Taliban leaders. A spokesperson for Abdullah Abdullah announced that the Deputy Executive of the Afghan President has postponed a previously scheduled trip to Pakistan and has gone to the site of the attack. Mr. Abdullah stated, 'The Afghan government seeks peace, but unfortunately, the enemy's response is violence, bloodshed, and the killing of innocent people.' Last night, hundreds of family members of the victims gathered around the hospital in the area to inquire about the fate of their loved ones, and the people of Kabul began an emergency blood donation campaign to help the victims.