KABUL: At least 27 people were killed and another 29 people sustained injuries after a political ceremony was attacked by a gunman which was attended by high-level officials including Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.
According to Interior Ministry Spokesperson, Nasrat Rahimi, the gunfire had erupted from a construction site near the ceremony in the city’s west.
Nasrat Rahimi further said that special police forces had been sent to the area following the attack at the ceremony.
The interior ministry later confirmed to reporters that “all the high-ranking officials were safely evacuated from the scene”.
The Taliban immediately denied responsibilities for the assault. There was no official word on a death toll.
The ceremony marked the anniversary of the death of Abdul Ali Mazari – an ethnic Hazara leader who was killed in 1995.
According to Afghan officials, it was the first big attack on the capital since a troop withdrawal agreement was signed last week in Doha between the United States and the Afghan Taliban.
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