The Taliban says they didn’t do it. “40 dead in Indian embassy blast in Afghan capital,” by Amir Shah for Associated Press, July 7:
KABUL, Afghanistan – A car bomb ripped through the front wall of the Indian Embassy in central Kabul on Monday, killing 40 people in the deadliest attack in Afghanistan’s capital since the fall of the Taliban, officials said.
The massive explosion detonated by a suicide bomber damaged two embassy vehicles entering the compound, near where dozens of Afghan men line up every morning to apply for visas. […]
“Extremists continue to show their disregard for all human life and their willingness to kill fellow Muslims as well as others,” he said. “The United States stands with the people of Afghanistan and India as we face this common enemy.”
Afghanistan has seen a sharp rise in violence from Taliban militants in recent months. Insurgents are packing bombs with more explosives than ever, one reason why more U.S. and NATO troops were killed in June than any month since the 2001 invasion.
Still, a Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, denied that the militants were behind the bombing. The Taliban tend to claim responsibility for attacks that inflict heavy tolls on international or Afghan troops, and deny responsibility for attacks that primarily kill Afghan civilians.
“Whenever we do a suicide attack, we confirm it,” Mujahid said. “The Taliban did not do this one.” […]