UPDATED. Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi says at least 63 people have been killed and 182 injured.
WEDDING BOMBING. Afghan security personnel walk in front of a wedding hall after a deadly bomb blast in Kabul on August 18, 2019.Photo by Wakil Kohsar/AFP
The groom, who only gave his name as Mirwais, recalled greeting smiling guests in the afternoon, before seeing their bodies being carried out hours later."My family, my bride are in shock, they cannot even speak. My bride keeps fainting," he said. Afghan weddings are epic and vibrant affairs, with hundreds or often thousands of guests celebrating for hours inside industrial-scale wedding halls where the men are usually segregated from the women and children.
In the aftermath, images from inside the hall showed blood-stained bodies on the ground along with pieces of flesh and torn clothes, hats, sandals and bottles of mineral water. On July 28, at least 20 people were killed when attackers targeted Ghani's running mate Amrullah Saleh on the first official day of campaigning for presidential elections.
The deal relies on the Taliban providing guarantees they will stop jihadist groups such as Al-Qaeda and IS from using Afghanistan as a safe haven. Saturday's attack suggests any such promise would be tough to keep.
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