Authorities in Afghanistan say a suicide car bomb attack outside the Indian
Embassy in Kabul has killed at least 41 people, including four Indian
nationals.
A public health spokesman (Abdullah Fahim) also reports
that 141 people were wounded in Monday's attack.
No one
has claimed responsibility for the bombing. But the Afghan Interior Ministry
said the attack was likely carried out in coordination with what it called
"active intelligence circles in the region." In the past, Afghanistan has
accused Pakistani agents of being behind several attacks on its soil.
In
Washington, a White House spokesman (Gordon Johndroe) condemned the
attack, calling it a needless act of violence. Afghanistan's president Hamid
Karzai also condemned the bombing, saying it was carried out by militants who
are against the friendship between Afghanistan and India.
A Taliban
spokesman said Monday that the militant group was not involved in the
attack.
The Taliban usually deny responsibility
for attacks that kill large numbers of civilians.
Meanwhile in
Washington, the U.S. military has again denied that a US-led airstrike killed
27 civilians in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday.
Afghan police say the civilians were attending a wedding party near the
border with Pakistan. A local official (Shokur Shinwari) told VOA's
Afghan service that 10 women and 10 children were among those
killed.
U.S. military officials in Kabul said Sunday that the missiles
used in the attack only struck militants, adding that no women or children were
present in the area.
The NATO command in Kabul is investigating the
incident.