Afghanistan Blast: Islamic State Claims Deadly Suicide Attack On Kabul Wedding

The blast, which took place late Saturday in west Kabul, came as Washington and the Taliban are in the final stages of a deal to reduce the US military presence in Afghanistan. The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack.

Afghan men investigate in a wedding hall after a deadly bomb blast in Kabul on August 18, 2019. - More than 60 people were killed and scores wounded in an explosion targeting a wedding in the Afghan capital, authorities said on August 18, the deadliest attack in Kabul in recent months. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)

New Delhi: The Islamic State group on Sunday evening claimed responsibility for the massive suicide attack on a wedding in Kabul, in which at least 63 people were killed. In a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app, the IS said one of its fighters blew himself up at a “large gathering” in Kabul while others “detonated a parked explosives-laden vehicle” when security forces arrived, news agency AFP reported. A suicide-bomb blast ripped through a wedding party on a busy Saturday night in Afghanistan with at least 63 people were killed and 182 wounded in the explosion, a government official said on Sunday. Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi provided the toll, which is the highest in Kabul in recent months. "Among the wounded are women and children," Rahimi said. The blast, which took place late Saturday in west Kabul, came as Washington and the Taliban are in the final stages of a deal to reduce the US military presence in Afghanistan. The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack. President Ashraf Ghani called the incident a "barbaric attack", while Afghanistan's chief executive Abdullah Abdullah described it as a "crime against humanity". The explosion shattered more than a week of calm in the Afghan capital.