At least 21 people were killed and 41 others wounded today when a suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint at the gate to the Afghan Supreme Court in Kabul. The attack was coordinated to the 4:00 pm rush, when many people were leaving for the day.
Officials reported at least nine of the slain were women, and while many of the wounded were said to be in grave condition, the Health Ministry said they expect to be able to save a lot of people, because the court is so close to a hospital in the capital city.
There was no claim of responsibility, but officials say that it was a similar attack to previous ones carried out by the Taliban against government targets. ISIS is also gaining some traction in Afghanistan, however, and could well also have done it.
The fact that the attacker was able to get explosives to the gates of the Supreme Court reflects the continued security woes of the Afghanistan government, which has been dedicating substantial numbers of troops to defending the capital and other major cities.