Taliban suicide bomber kills 30 in attack on government office

A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 30 people and maimed dozens when he blew himself up amidst a crowd queuing for identity documents at a government office.

The morning blast in the northern province of Kunduz took the death toll from a recent wave of attacks on government buildings and security forces to over 100.

Witnesses said the Kunduz bomber detonated in a waiting area as people queued outside a district office in Imam Sahib to collect new identity cards and paperwork.

“There are wounded and dead all over the floor in the hospital,” a man called Mohammad Ismail told reporters. “There are bodies with their chopped-off hands or legs next to them in the hospital. It’s a disaster... you can hear screams everywhere.”

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had targeted a recruitment centre for the Afghan army.

Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s president, denounced the bombing as “un-Islamic.” The American embassy in Kabul said it demonstrated “yet again the terrorists’ cowardice and complete disregard for human life”.