In a shocking incident, more than 80 people were killed and around 350 injured on Wednesday after a massive explosion targeted an area in Kabul where several embassies, including India's, are located. Fortunately for the Indian diplomatic mission, there were no casualties reported. At the time of publication, it still isn't clear what was the motive for the blast.
There was also no immediate claim of responsibility, with a spokesman for the Taliban telling journalists that the group was not involved in the attack. The sheer scale of death and devastation in one of the most heavily guarded areas of Kabul highlighted the reach of the militant forces desperate to destabilise the elected government. In recent weeks, the Taliban have been gaining territory in the countryside. These developments have once again raised questions about Kabul's ability to restore peace.
Islamist militant groups, primarily a local offshoot of Islamic State and the Afghan Taliban, have been responsible for a string of recent attacks aimed at creating chaos in Afghanistan and toppling the US-backed government in Kabul. Attempts by Western governments to defeat the Afghan Taliban have not amounted to much. Fourteen years after the US invasion, Afghanistan continues to stand on one knee.