US Congressman After Kabul Blast: Trump Has No Strategy to End Afghan Conflict

President Donald Trump has no strategy to end the conflict in Afghanistan, US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Eliot Engel said in a statement on Wednesday after a terrorist attack in Kabul killed at least 90 people and left 400 others wounded.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A powerful blast that rocked Kabul caused damage to numerous buildings, including the French and German embassies. Media reported that the Afghan Health Ministry put the death toll at up to 90 people, while some 380 people were injured.

According to the preliminary data by the state’s Interior Ministry the explosive device had been placed in a vehicle used to transport water. Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the explosion.

"While Afghan authorities carry out the sad, but all too familiar work of healing the wounded, restoring calm, and repairing the damage, the Trump administration still has no strategy to wind down the conflict in Afghanistan," Engel stated.

The congressman strongly condemned the attack, which occurred after a terrorist drove a tanker truck laden with explosives into a busy intersection in a diplomatic quarter in central Kabul.

Engel also cautioned Trump against carrying out any rash response to the attack.

"Donald Trump might like the feeling of dropping the Mother of All Bombs, but it won't bring stability and it isn't a plan to prevent future attacks. Rather, we need to train Afghan security forces and promote a political solution to bring an end to the violence," Engel said.

Meanwhile, the NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) mission announced that 13 officers of the Afghan National Police (ANP) died in the terrorist attack in Kabul.