A suicide attack this morning caused dozens of victims in front of the Russian embassy in Kabul. According to official Russian sources, at least two of his fellow citizens, a diplomat and an employee, would be among the deceased, which the security forces raise to a minimum of eight. Most would be Afghans queuing for a visa at the consular section.
The suicide bomber would have gone into action at the moment in which the Russian official went out to read the names of those summoned. Although he would have been identified by the Taliban security outside the Embassy and shot, before he could get even closer to the crowd, the detonation would have occurred anyway.
Unlike many embassies, located in the northeast of the Afghan capital and near the airport, the Russian embassy is located in the southwest, on the avenue that leads to the restored Darul Aman palace.
The explosion, at 10:50 am, will also startle the handful of legations that have remained open despite the change of power in Afghanistan or reopened within weeks or months of the Taliban takeover of Kabul. In addition to Russia, these are countries such as Pakistan, China, Turkey or Qatar. However, none of them have taken the step of formally recognizing the Taliban regime. All European embassies remain closed, although in several cases, such as that of Spain, they operate from Doha, in Qatar.
The largest of the embassies, the US embassy, although tightly closed, is under the protection of a Taliban checkpoint. Three weeks ago, its exterior was one of the most frequented scenes in the street celebration of the anniversary of the conquest of Kabul and the reinstatement of the Taliban dictatorship.
