ANKARA
Turkey has strongly condemned an attack in eastern Afghanistan that killed three Turkish engineers and left another Turk and an Afghan child wounded early Monday.
"We strongly condemn this flagrant attack and expect Afghan officials to arrest the assailants immediately," Turkey's foreign ministry said.
The blast occurred at around 7:15 am near Jalalabad city in the Ningrahar province, the spokesperson for Ninghrahar's governor Ahmad Zia Abdulzai told Anadolu Agency.
“A suicide bomber using a motorcycle cart full of explosives has attacked a Corolla car of Turkish engineers that killed three of them and wounded one,” he said.
Fuat Tas, the project manager, Umit Unal and Halil Gul were working for the EMTA construction company which was building a logistics facility for the Afghan security forces in the Behsud district.
Another Turk Ahmet Sahinoglu was wounded in the head and and is said to be in a stable condition after being given first aid in Jalalabad, the ministry said.
“We strongly condemn this attack on civilian engineers,” Abdulzai said. “The enemies of Afghanistan does not want peace and development for Afghans, that is why they attack development workers.”
Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior also released a statement saying it condemned the attack, which no group has yet claimed responsibility for.
The Taliban is not behind the suicide attack that killed three Turkish engineers, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told the Anadolu Agency.
"Turkish people and Afghan people are of the same religion. We have always loved Turkish people and would never carry out such an attack," Mujahid said, adding that eight Turks who were mistakenly kidnapped by the Taliban in Logar when their helicopter made an emergency landing in late April were released immediately after their identities were revealed.
Mujahid said that all attacks that occur in Afghanistan are blamed on the Taliban, however, there are many other armed groups active in the country.
"A suicide bomber using a motorcycle cart full of explosives has attacked a Corolla car of Turkish engineers, leaving three of them dead and one injured," he said. "The Turks were working for a construction company by the name of Farda."
This construction company is building a logistics facility for the Afghan National Police in Behsud district, Abdulzai said. He added that an Afghan child was also wounded in the blast.
