May 2017 Kabul Bombing

On 31 May 2017, at approximately 08:25 local time (03:55 GMT), a truck bomb exploded at a crowded intersection in Kabul, Afghanistan, near the German embassy during morning rush hour. The attack occurred in the city's diplomatic quarter, one of the most heavily fortified areas of Kabul, protected by three-meter-high blast walls and multiple security checkpoints. The explosion killed over 150 people and injured 413 others, the vast majority of them civilians, and caused significant damage to several embassy buildings. It was described as the deadliest terror attack to occur in Kabul up to that point.

The device was a vacuum truck packed with approximately 1,500 kilograms of explosives, detonated near Zanbaq Square adjacent to the German embassy. The blast created a crater reported as roughly 4.5 meters wide and 3 meters deep, with some reporting describing a crater over nine meters deep; damage was reported as far as four kilometers away. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stated that over 150 "entirely innocent Afghan sons and daughters" were killed and more than 300 were hospitalized with burns, lacerations, and amputations. Casualties included Mohammed Nazir, a driver for BBC News; a staff member of Tolo News; and an Afghan security guard employed by the German embassy. Afghan journalist Tajuden Soroush, who was traveling in the same vehicle as Nazir, survived. Injuries were also reported among Japanese and German diplomatic mission personnel, and the British, Japanese, German, and French embassies all sustained building damage.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Both the Taliban and Islamic State had claimed earlier Kabul bombings in 2017, but the Taliban issued a statement denying involvement in this attack and condemned it. Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) claimed the attack had been planned by the Haqqani Network, an Afghan insurgent group, and reiterated allegations that the group had support and a presence in Pakistan. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nafees Zakaria, rejected these allegations as "baseless."

The bombing triggered anti-government protests beginning 2 June, with demonstrators demanding the removal of President Ghani's government, formation of an interim administration, and criticizing perceived leniency toward insurgents. During the 2 June protest, security forces used gunfire, water cannons, and tear gas to disperse crowds advancing toward the presidential palace; at least five demonstrators were killed, including the son of Senate deputy head Salim Ezadyar, and 15 were wounded. On 3 June, during the funeral for Ezadyar's son, three consecutive explosions killed at least 18 people and wounded dozens more; no group claimed responsibility. Starting 2 June and continuing for weeks, civil society groups held tent sit-ins in central Kabul under the banner "Uprising for Change," calling for investigations and accountability for the killing of protesters.