Car Bombing Kills 17 at Afghan Supreme Court

Second Major Attack in Kabul in as Many Days

A suicide car bombing tore through minibuses in front of the Afghan Supreme Court today, killing at least 17 people and wounding 40 others. The court is in the most heavily fortified part of Kabul.

The attack appears to have sought to maximize casualties by targeting the buses used to ferry court staff from work just as they were leaving. A Taliban spokesman said the court staff had been repeatedly warned to stop working there.

It’s the second major attack against the capital city in as many days, after a major armed attack against the Kabul Airport on Monday. That attack targeted the NATO headquarters at the base in a multi-hour siege.

Though Afghan officials have sought to downplay the significance of such attacks, the Taliban’s ability to strike at even the most heavily secured parts of the country point to a security situation that is definitely not improving.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.