United Arab Emirates says 5 diplomats killed in Afghan blast

Kabul: The United Arab Emirates says five of its diplomats were killed in a bombing in Kandahar, Afghanistan, the previous day.

The UAE said today it will fly the nation's flags at half-mast in their honour.

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

Afghan officials previously said the blast killed five people and wounded 12. Among the wounded were Kandahar Gov. Homayun Azizia, as well as UAE Ambassador Juma Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi.

The Taliban issued a statement today saying they did not plant the bomb, instead blaming an "internal local rivalry" for the attack.