Kabul (Afghanistan): In a massive explosion Monday
that reverberated around the city, a suicide bomber killed at least 40
people and injured 140 at the gates of the Indian Embassy in the Afghan
capital, the Interior Ministry said.

In New Delhi, the Foreign
Ministry said the military attaché, who held the rank of brigadier, a
senior diplomat and three other Indians were killed in the attack. The
dead also included six Afghan policemen.

While Afghan cities are no stranger to suicide attacks, Monday’s assault ranked among the deadliest in Kabul itself.

The
bomber rammed a car into two Indian diplomatic vehicles as they entered
the gates of the embassy, witnesses reported from the scene. They said
the blast wrecked several other cars and spread human body parts and
bloodstained scraps of clothing amid the debris.

The embassy is near the Afghan Interior Ministry, the scene of a huge blast last year.