Back to Search ResultsIncident Summary:
10/30/2008: On Thursday, a Taliban suicide attacker blew himself up inside the Information and Culture Ministry building in Kabul, Kabul province, Afghanistan, killing at least five people and 18 others. The bomb exploded in a conference room underneath the office of Minister Abdul Karim Khoram who was believed to be the target, but he was not harmed as he was not in the building at the time. The attacker first shot dead a guard at the entrance to the building and then ran into the conference room where he blew himself up. The suicide bombing attack caused a significant amount of damage to the building with broken glass and office equipment scattered among the rubble. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahed claimed responsibility for the incident by telephone on behalf of the group and added that there were three original attackers, two of whom facilitated the suicide bomber to enter the building and then escaped after the attack.Overview
GTD ID:
200810300004
When:
2008-10-30
Country:
Afghanistan
Region:
South Asia
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Kabul
City:
Kabul
Location Details:
The suicide bombing attack took place in a conference room underneath the office of Minister Abdul Karim Khoram inside the Information and Culture Ministry building in Kabul, Kabul province, Afghanistan.
What
| Type of Attack (more) | Armed Assault |
| Type of Attack (more) | Bombing/Explosion |
| Successful Attack? (more) | Yes |
| Target Type: Government (General) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Entity | Afghan Ministry | ||
| Specific Description | Minister Abdul Karim Khoram | ||
| Nationality of Target | Afghanistan | ||
| Hostages | No |
| Ransom | No |
| Property Damage | Yes |
| Extent of Property Damage | Major (likely > $1 million but < $1 billion) |
| Value of Property Damage | Unknown |
How
| Type | Sub-type |
|---|---|
| Explosives | Suicide (carried bodily by human being) |
| Firearms | Unknown Gun Type |
| Weapon Details | |
| A suicide bomber carrying unknown explosives was used in the suicide bombing attack and unknown firearms were used in the firearm attack. | |
| Suicide Attack? | Yes |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
| Criterion 1 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 2 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 3 (more) | Yes |
| Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) | No |
| Additional Information | The available sources listed the injuries for these attacks from 12 to 23, so these figures have been averaged in order to preserve statistical accuracy in the database. |
Who
| Group Name | Claimed Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Taliban | Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Call (post-incident)) |
| Number of Perpetrators | 1 |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators | 0 |
| Total Number of Casualties | 6 Fatalities / 18 Injured |
| Total Number of Fatalities | 6 |
| Number of U.S. Fatalities | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrator Fatalities | 1 |
| Total Number of Injured | 18 |
| Number of U.S. Injured | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrators Injured | 0 |
Sources
| Waheedullah Massoud, "Taliban Attack in Afghan Government Building Kills Five," Lexis Nexis, Agence France Presse, October 30, 2008. |
| Tom Coghlan, "Five Die in Taleban Suicide Attack," Lexis Nexis London Times, October 31, 2008. |
| Thai Press Reports, "Afghanistan Taliban Claims Responsibility for Kabul Suicide Bomb," Lexis Nexis, Thai Press Reports, October 31, 2008. |
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