Kathmandu, June 20
The Kabul terrorist attack, which killed 14 Nepali security guards and left nine injured, has left Nepali nationals based in the war-torn Afghanistan terrorised. The Taliban attack occurred when a bus was taking the Nepali guards to their work station — the Canadian Embassy in the Afghan capital.
The attack has left Man Bahadur, one of the guards working at the embassy, devastated.
He told Onlinekhabar: I survived because I was in my room as it was my day off. But my friends died in the attack.
Man Bahadur said: I have to do night duty today. Don’t know how I will be able to do it. Money is not more important than life.
Sabre, the British security company, is tasked with the security of the embassy and it has employed 147 former Nepali security personnel for the job.
Generally, the guards work in three shifts. With many of their friends on leave in Nepal, Nepali guards employed at the embassy have been providing security to the embassy by constituting two teams comprising 41 members each.
As usual, a group of these guards left the residence for the embassy in a bus. Barely had the bus left the gate, a suicide bomb attack occurred.
Man Bahadur said: I was in my room when the blast occurred. It rocked my room. My friends died in the attack.
At first, Man Bahadur and his friends were too fearful to leave the room. Security personnel rescued the injured and took them to hospital. Through media, Man Bahadur came to know about the death of 14 of their friends.
The injured are receiving treatment. Of them, Amit Rokaya Chhetri told AP that he is returning home soon. The attack has left these guards deeply worried. Man Bahadur said: I have to do my duty but there’s insecurity. Don’t know how I will be able to discharge my duties. The embassy is about a kilometre from the guards’ quarters. A bus ride to the embassy takes 10-15 minutes when there’s no traffic jam. The guards say there’s no proper security arrangement on their bus journey.
