Suicide bomber shot dead at Kabul passport office gate

KABUL: A would-be suicide bomber was shot dead on Thursday at the gate of a passport office in the Afghan capital Kabul, as hundreds of Taliban fighters lined up for travel documents on a day reserved exclusively for their applications.

A spokesman for Kabul police claimed the attacker was shot and killed while trying to enter the passport office premises. One member of the Taliban told Reuters multiple people were injured, and the building and streets around the area were locked down.

Around 200 Taliban fighters had gathered at the passport office after authorities announced that Thursdays would be set aside exclusively for them to apply for passports. It was unclear why the fighters wanted passports

Civilians who arrived to process their applications were held back or sent home by Taliban security. “Issuing passports to the Taliban members was cancelled due to overcrowding,” said Qari Shafiullah Tassal, a spokesman for the office.

Many people were also falsely claiming they had Taliban links, he told AFP. Taliban fighters were also given the opportunity on Thursday to apply for passports in the southern city of Kandahar, according to AFP.

Taliban authorities stopped issuing passports after the hardline group returned to power on August 15, citing staff issues, faulty equipment and a lack of supplies.