An explosion rattled a large Shia ceremony in western Kabul Thursday, with the event abruptly cancelled and sending attendees fleeing, including chief executive Abdullah Abdullah and other leading government officials.
"Stay calm, the area of the blast is far from us," said former lower house speaker Mohammad Younus Qanooni during a live broadcast of the event.
But moments after the announcement, another explosion could be heard that sent people running for the exit.
The explosions happened during a ceremony marking the 24th anniversary of the death of Shia Hazara leader Abdul Ali Mazari that was attended by many of the country’s elite, including Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blast and no casualties have been reported.
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| Update from Tolo News at 6:30 a.m. ET: |
The attack took place at aroune 12pn Kabul time and it was started when Chief Executive of the National Unity Government Abdullah Abdullah
... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun...was giving speech at the ceremony in Musala-e-Mazar compound in the west of Kabul.
The mortars landed in a different part and around the gathering.
Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, former president Hamid
Maybe I'll join the TalibanKarzai
...A product, and probably the sole product, of the
Southern Alliance...
, former National Security Advisor Haneef Atmar, former Vice president Yunus Qanuni, Acting Foreign Minister, Salahuddin Rabbani, Second Deputy Chief Executive Mohammad Mohaqiq, and other officials were at the ceremony.
No high-ranking official was hurt in the attack. But sources said that Abdul Latif Pedram, a presidential candidate and head of the National Congress Party of Afghanistan sustained injuries in the attack.
TOLOnews news hound Gulabuddin Ghubar who was covering the gathering said that at least 15 were kabooms heard at the area.
Sharif Amiry, another TOLOnews news hound, said the victims of the attack were taken to hospital by police vehicles and ambulances.
"The mortars also hit civilians houses and there are also casualties," he said.
In the meantime, officials from the Ministry of Public Health said that "two people were killed in a house after it was hit by a mortar shell and three others were maimed."
"From the gethering, one person was killed and 16 others were maimed," the ministry said.
Atmar in a statement said that eight of his bodyguards were wounded in the attack.