The World Council of Churches has condemned a bomb attack in the Afghan capital of Kabul that has killed at least 80 people and injured several hundred more.
Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC, said he condemned the attack “as a cruel act against innocent people”.
“We stand with you in shock, in prayer, in sadness and we appeal for peace during a time when so many are hit by this type of violence.”
The truck bomb exploded in the diplomatic quarter of the city during rush hour on Wednesday morning. It took place not far from the German Embassy, killing an Afghan security guard who worked there and injuring other embassy employees. Most of the victims appear to be Afghan civilians but they also included a driver working for the BBC (a number of journalists were also injured).
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack as a “war crime”.
The blast, like those in Iraq earlier this week, comes as Muslims mark the holy month of Ramadan.
“This attack comes at a holy time for many, during a month that people observe with fasting, prayers, and good deeds,” Rev Dr Tveit said. “The need for unity, the need for peace grows more urgent every day. We must walk toward justice and peace together…What if we counter every act of violence with correspondingly larger acts of unity and love?”
Meanwhile, Pope Francis described the attack in a telegram to Afghanistan’s ambassador to Italy as “abhorrent” and expressed his “heartfelt condolences to all affected by this brutal act of violence”.
The attack has been condemned by world leaders including UN Secretary-General António Guterres who called for those responsible to be brought to justice. “Indiscriminate attacks against civilians are grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and can never be justified.”
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull who said in a tweet that Australia stood “firmly with the people of Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism”.
