Story highlights
Taliban claims responsibility in suicide bombing at police academy, spokesman says
Elsewhere, a truck explodes on a main road, killing 15 people
Military base also comes under attack, two insurgents killed
Afghanistan’s capital was rocked Friday by two attacks, including a suicide bomber who killed 27 students and wounded 26 others at the National Police Academy, authorities said.
In the other explosion, a truck detonated on a main road, killing 15 people and wounding 240, authorities said.
The suicide bomber ignited his explosives at the police academy’s front gate where students had queued to enter the training facility, said an Afghan police official in the police hospital who didn’t want to be named.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said his group claimed responsibility for the attack on the police academy.
In the truck blast, the explosion destroyed residential areas and businesses, police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said.
Among those injured were 47 women and 30 children, said Sayed Zafar Hashemi, a deputy spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani.
Authorities were investigating the truck blast. There were no claims of responsibility late Friday.
Another attack took place at a coalition military facility outside Kabul known as Camp Integrity, a coalition military official said. Two insurgents were killed.
A U.S. official said the attack, which took place at 10:15 p.m., began with an explosion from a suspected suicide bomber followed by insurgents with small arms. The base houses U.S. and coalition troops that help train Afghan forces.
There was no immediate word on whether any U.S. or coalition troops were killed or injured.
There are approximately 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
CNN’s Masoud Popalzai contributed from Kabul, and Michael Martinez wrote from Los Angeles. CNN’s Barbara Starr contributed to this report.