Eleven people were killed and at least 14 wounded in an explosion near the Kabul airport on Sunday shortly after Afghanistan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum returned home from an year and a half of exile in Turkey, TOLONews reported, quoting the Ministry of Interior.
The blast took place near an airport entrance where supporters were waiting to greet Dostum as his convoy passed on its way to the city centre, Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai told Reuters.
“The blast was probably caused by a suicide bomber,” Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP.
Dostum landed in Kabul at 4.30 pm local time (5.30 pm Indian time), after which he was taken into an armoured vehicle, TOLONews reported. His convoy drove out of the airport compound shortly before 5 pm under tight security. The convoy was not affected by the explosion.
Abdul Rashid Dostum had left the country in 2017 amid allegations of sexual abuse and torture. He was given an official reception after his return.
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