Deadly suicide bombing plot thwarted in Kabul

According to Afghan security officials, several suspected individuals were arrested in capital Kabul for plotting suicide bomb attacks.

The officials further added, a group of suspects were detained along with 11 suicide bombing vests at the ministry of defense of Afghanistan.

The individuals were detained from related compounds of the Afghan defense ministry and a number of the suspects are Afghan army members, the officials added.

The officials did not disclose further information regarding the main targets of the bombing plot however it seems the suspects were looking to target Afghan defense ministry since they were arrested along with the explosives from the defense ministry related compounds....

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BBC report:

Afghan arrests after authorities foil 'suicide attack'

Sixteen people have been arrested in the Afghan capital, Kabul, after plans for an apparent mass suicide attack were foiled.

Intelligence officials have told the BBC that 11 suicide jackets were seized in the ministry of defence.
They say the attacks would have caused significant loss of life if they had gone ahead.
Some of those arrested are reported to be soldiers in the Afghan National Army.

The jackets were seized on Monday afternoon from three separate rooms around a ministry car park, less than a kilometre from the presidential palace.

Six soldiers were arrested at the time - initial reports suggested they were armed and prepared to attack.

It appears the jackets were intended to be detonated on buses transporting staff to and from work. Eleven buses carrying 1,100 personnel were due to set off just 45 minutes after the arrests were made.

Another 10 people were arrested on Tuesday and more arrests could follow, intelligence and security officials told the BBC, adding that the ministry was in lock-down.

The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says the problem of attacks by rogue soldiers and Taliban infiltrators has plagued the Afghan police and army for several years.

The arrests came as people wearing the uniforms of Afghan security forces killed one US and two British soldiers in separate incidents, in Paktika province and Lashkar Gah respectively....

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CBS News report

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 Al Jazeera report

Related articles

• Afghan arrests foil 'mass suicide attack' (itv.com)
• Mass suicide attack foiled on same day as two British soldiers were shot dead by Afghan army officer at compound gates (dailymail.co.uk)

Posted in: Afghan National Army, Afghan National Security Forces, Afghanistan, Lashkar Gah, Ministry of Defense (Afghanistan), Suicide bomber