Afghan security forces secure the scene of a bombing at a French-run cultural center and school in Kabul on Dec. 11, 2014. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
Afghan security forces secure the scene of a bombing at a French-run cultural center and school in Kabul on Dec. 11, 2014. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
Afghan security forces secure the scene of a bombing at a French-run cultural center and school in Kabul on Dec. 11, 2014. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber attacked a French cultural center in Kabul Thursday, killing at least one person and injuring more than a dozen others, according to Kabul Police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi.
Rahimi said the confirmed fatality was a foreigner, but he could not say what nationality. The Associated Press, quoting the acting Interior Minister, reported a German national was killed.
Rahimi said the bomber appeared to be in his mid-teens and detonated near the stage in the center’s auditorium during a performance called “Heartbeat: Silence After the Explosion.”
The center often hosts Afghan musical and theater performances as well as art exhibits. It is within the grounds of the French-funded Esteqlal High School, or Lycée Esteqlal.
It was the second deadly attack of the day in Kabul after a period of relative calm. A suicide bomber also detonated Thursday morning near an Afghan National Army bus, killing six soldiers, according to AP.
Also Thursday morning, in the Western province of Herat, insurgents laid siege to a district center not far from the Afghan air force’s main training ground.
The capital had been relatively quiet for about a week after a period late last month that saw a spasm of violence, including several attacks aimed at foreigners.
Afghanistan relies heavily on foreign assistance to fund basic services as well as its army and police. The violence comes at a crucial time as many international organizations are deciding the extent of their involvement in Afghanistan with a much smaller foreign troop presence.
International combat troops are set to leave Afghanistan at the end of the month, raising worries that an emboldened Taliban could step up attacks. Already, casualties among the Afghan security forces have spiked as they have taken on most of the day to day fighting and international troops have largely pulled back to their bases.
The U.S.-led international military coalition here will leave behind 13,000 troops for a mission focused on training, advising, and counter-terrorism, but will still be able to provide crucial air support to Afghan forces. American leaders recently announced an increase of 1,000 troops to their post-2014 commitment.
Zubair Babakarkhail contributed to this report.
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