UAE says 5 diplomats killed in Afghanistan explosion

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday said that at least five of its diplomats were killed in the Afghanistan bombing on Tuesday. A blast in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar targeting UAE's diplomatic corps killed at least 11 people and injured many others including the UAE ambassador to Afghanistan.

The federation of seven sheikhdoms on Wednesday announced that it will immediately fly the nation's flag at half-staff for three days in honor of the diplomats who were killed in the deadly attack.

The Taliban, which is a fundamentalist Sunni Muslim militant organisation in Afghanistan, has denied any involvement in the attack.

The UAE prime minister, vice president and Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, took to Twitter and said, "there is no human, moral or religious justification for the bombing and killing of people trying to help" others.

Reacting to the news, Abu Dhabi crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said that the attack on the Middle Eastern diplomats would not stop UAE's humanitarian efforts. "We will not be discouraged by despicable terrorist acts carried out by the forces of evil and darkness," he said on Twitter.

The Kandahar police chief Gen. Abdul Razeq said that in total 18 people were injured, which also included provincial Gov. Homayun Azizi. Tuesday's attack was targeted at Azizi's guesthouse; police reports state that someone had hid a bomb inside a sofa at the governor's guesthouse.

"Right now we cannot say anything that who is behind this attack," Razeq told The Associated Press. Reports state that various suspects have been arrested in association with the attack.