Pakistan condemns twin terrorist attacks in Kabul

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Foreign Office on Monday issued a strong condemnation of the twin suicide attacks in Afghan capital of Kabul, which killed 26 people and wounded around 49 others.

“We are distressed and grieved at the loss of precious human lives. We express our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives and pray to Almighty Allah for early recovery of the injured,” the statement read.

“The Government and people of Pakistan express their support and solidarity with their Afghan brethren in this hour of grief. We are confident that the resolve of brave Afghan people to defeat terrorism cannot be weakened by such cowardly attacks.

“Pakistan reiterates its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and resolves to fight this menace till its elimination,” the statement added.

Journalists among 25 killed in successive Kabul blasts

The first bomb exploded in the Shashdarak area close to buildings of the NDS intelligence service, followed by one outside the ministry of urban development and housing

Successive blasts in Kabul killed 26 people earlier today, including journalists who had arrived to report on the first explosion and who were apparently targeted by a suicide bomber in a second attack, officials said.

The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee said seven journalists had been killed and French news agency Agence France-Presse confirmed that its chief photographer in Afghanistan, Shah Marai, was among the dead. A Reuters photographer was slightly wounded.

The attack came a week after 60 people were killed as they waited at a voter registration center in the west of Kabul, underlining the continuing insecurity in the capital despite official pledges to tighten defenses.