Eight dead in Kabul as supermarket near British embassy hit by bomber

Published on Friday 28 January 2011 14:34

A TALEBAN suicide bomber killed at least eight people in a busy supermarket opposite the British embassy in Afghanistan yesterday, in the first major attack against foreign civilians in Kabul for almost a year.

Three women, thought to be Philippina shoppers, and a young Afghan boy were killed in the blast which rocked the heart of Kabul's heavily fortified diplomatic district.

It was the third attack in the capital in as many weeks - but the first time civilians had been targeted since a suicide squad attacked a guesthouse in February.

The Scotsman understands some European diplomats had been warned against visiting the supermarket yesterday. British diplomats were banned from visiting last year, amid reports of an imminent attack, but were allowed to visit again earlier this year.

Police said six other people - including a shop clerk - were also wounded in the attack.

The nationalities of the remaining victims had not been released last night, but western officials said there were no reports of British dead.

The Afghan Intelligence Service said three of the dead women appeared to be from the Philippines and a fourth was Afghan. The bodies are expected to be formally identified today.

Fireman Mirza Aga, who helped extinguish a blaze which followed the explosion, described carnage.

"There were dead people everywhere and wounded people screaming for help," he said.

"I saw lots of foreigners' bodies, in western clothes, and one Afghan as well."

The Taleban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said a lone bomber was targeting the head of American security company Blackwater.

Although diplomats often visit the supermarket with body-guards clad in body armour and bristling with guns, it was not clear if any contractors working for Blackwater, or Xe as the company is now known, were among the dead.

Eyewitnesses reported two small explosions - thought to have been hand grenades - just after 2:30pm, before the bomber detonated his main charge, ripping through the two-storey building.

Until recently the roof, which offers a view of Kabul and the surrounding hills, was popular with television journalists for live broadcasts.

Mary Hayden, a consultant who was inside the shop at the time, said: "To my left, I heard a gunshot.

"A bomb went off. Everyone was running to the back of the building."

Armed security guards were on duty outside the store, but unlike visitors to many restaurants, offices and embassies in the city shoppers were not frisked before entering.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai said the "enemies of Afghanistan are so desperate that they are now killing civilians, including women, inside a food market."