Kabul Truck Bomb Kills Over 150 in Deadliest Attack of Afghan War

A massive truck bomb ripped through the diplomatic quarter of Kabul on the morning of May 31, 2017, killing more than 150 people and wounding over 300 in what became the single deadliest attack in the Afghan capital during the entire course of the war.

The blast occurred at 8:22 a.m. during the morning rush hour. A vacuum truck — the type commonly used to deliver water — had been packed with an estimated 1,500 kilograms, or approximately 3,300 pounds, of explosives. It detonated near the German Embassy and within close proximity to the Afghan presidential palace, in one of the most heavily secured areas of the city.

The explosion left a crater several meters deep and shattered windows up to a mile from the blast site. The German Embassy was severely damaged, and a number of Afghan government buildings, foreign diplomatic offices, and commercial properties sustained significant destruction.

Initial reports placed the death toll at 90, with more than 400 wounded. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani later updated the casualty count to over 150 killed and more than 300 hospitalized with burns, lacerations, and amputations.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban issued a denial, but officials noted the growing presence of ISIS-affiliated fighters in Afghanistan as a possible factor.

The bombing drew international condemnation. Germany, whose embassy was among the hardest hit, temporarily recalled some of its diplomatic staff from Kabul. The Afghan government declared a national day of mourning.

In the aftermath, stories of resilience emerged from the chaos. At 1TV Afghanistan, one of the country’s major television networks, creative director Sohail Sediqi was wounded in the forehead by debris from the blast. Despite his injuries, Sediqi went to the bombing site to help get footage on the air. Station owner Fahim Hashimy said the response gave him “a very big hope” and demonstrated that “we won’t give up.”

The May 2017 attack underscored the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, 2017 recorded the highest number of civilian casualties from suicide bombings and complex attacks in a single year, with insurgent groups responsible for roughly two-thirds of all civilian deaths.