Kabul, Afghanistan- A suicide bomber on Friday morning killed 19 people and wounded 27 at the Kaaj Education Center.
The blast happened in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood of western Kabul, a predominantly Shiite Muslim area home to the minority Hazara community, the scene of some of Afghanistan‘s most deadly attacks.
Videos posted online and photos published by local media showed bloodied victims being carried from the scene.
“Students were preparing for an exam when a suicide bomber struck at this Educational Centre. Unfortunately, 19 people have been martyred and 27 others wounded. Security forces have reached the area and we will share the type of the explosion,” said Police spokesperson, Khalid Zadran.
In addition, the Interior Ministry spokesperson, Abdul Nafy Takor, said on Twitter that more comprehensive information would be released in due course.
“Security teams have reached the site, the nature of the attack and the details of the casualties will be released later. Attacking civilian targets proves the enemy’s inhuman cruelty and lack of moral standard,” said Takor.
Afghanistan’s Shiite Hazaras have faced persecution for decades. Hazaras are also the frequent target of attacks by the Taliban’s enemy the Islamic State group.
Most attacks over the past year have targeted Taliban members and mosques belonging to Shiites and Sufis, two of the country’s minority groups.
Since taking over Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have emphasized that they are securing the nation following decades of war, but recent months have seen a series of blasts at mosques and civilian areas.
Earlier in September, a Russian assistant secretary and a security guard at the Russian Embassy lost their lives following a suicide blast.
The blast, which occurred not far from the entrance to the Russian Embassy, also killed up to 25 people, and most of the victims were reportedly Afghans queuing for Visas.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, though it fits the profile of attacks by the Islamic State’s affiliate in the country, known as the Islamic State-Khorasan or ISIS-K, which has claimed to have been behind most of the assaults over the past year.
Last year, before the return of the Taliban, at least 85 people mainly girl students were killed and about 300 wounded when three bombs exploded near their school in Dasht-e-Barchi.
Moreso, teenage students were among the 24 people killed in a 2020 attack claimed by Islamic State at an Education Centre in west Kabul.
