A woman and child were killed and 40 civilians were injured in a brazen bomb and gun attack on the Afghan parliament in Kabul. A suicide car bomber and six gunmen were also killed in the attack.
MPs were evacuated to safety amid chaotic scenes. The speaker of the Parliament, Abdul Rauf Ibrahim, managed to continue talking during the blast in moment of calm under fire captured live on TV.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman said it was timed to coincide with the appearance in parliament of Afghanistan’s new defence minister Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai.
The attack was swiftly condemned by the UN and the prime ministers of both India and Pakistan. The UN said it was an affront to democracy.
The attack raises new questions over Afghanistan ability to maintain security without Nato’s help. Over the weekend Taliban forces took control of Chardara district in Kunduz. The continued insurgency also suggests divisions within the Taliban as it occurred soon after some senior Taliban figures entered talks in Qatar.
