Click to play videoNew Delhi: Taliban have claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul on Thursday morning in which nine people were killed.
Three Indian security personnel belonging to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police were among the 45 people injured in the blast.
The attack is the second one on the Indian Embassy in Kabul and underscored the risks for Indian diplomats in Afghanistan.
According to Afghan officials a bomber blew up his explosive-packed car outside the boundary wall. Most of those killed and injured were visa seekers,
"It was around 0830 (Afghan time). A (Toyota) Corolla car was parked in front of the Indian Embassy. It was rush hour, about 10 minutes after I arrived in the office was when we heard an explosion. There were lot of workers cleaning the canals, most of them have been killed," an eyewitness Habib Jan said.
"I was on my way going to my work, suddenly I heard a bang near the interior ministry, the explosion threw me away from my bicycle and I was unconscious," a wounded man Mohammad Osman Shapore said.
The blast blew out the windows and doors of the chancery. Shops lining the road opposite the Embassy were either destroyed or severely damaged.
Afghanistan's Interior Ministry in the same are also suffered some damage.
"The suicide bomb was directed towrads the Embassy. The Government of India has taken measures to safegaurd Indians in Afghanistan. The measures of keeping our staff safe in kabul have worked very well," said Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao.
The measures had been put in place after July 2008 attack on the Embassy when two diplomats were killed.
It comprised of HESCO barrier which basically is large duffel bags filled with sand and beyond are the Texas barrier comprising concrete blocks followed by two metre high walls all of which are manned by personnel of the ITBP.
"We will investigate how the car reached so near the Embassy. We will see if it is a security breach," Union Home Secretary GK Pillai said in New Delhi.
Last year's attack on the Embassy was blamed on the Afghanistan based Haqqani network affiliated to al Qaeda and working in tandem with Pakistani intelligence.
Now the Taliban have stepped forward to claim responsibility, signalling confidence in their abilities and a warning of more to come.
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