A Taliban suicide bomber targeted the National Civil Order Police compound in the Afghan capital city of Kabul today, killing at least 20 police and wounding 29 others. The attack was carried out as police were leaving the compound, and he detonated at the gate.
The attack comes amid official confirmation that death tolls in the Afghan War rose precipitously in 2015, and the signs are that 2016 isn’t going to be any better. The Taliban has been targeting police with increasing regularity.
Afghan officials initially blamed today’s attack on a suicide car bomber, though they later confirmed the attack was on foot, and had stood in a line of people waiting to get into the police station to remain undetected before rushing the people leaving the building.
NATO officials condemned the attack, saying suicide bombings against police prove the Taliban doesn’t respect the “rule of law,” adding that bombings don’t advance “the cause of peace.”