Kabul, Sep 30 (UNI) A suicide bomber on Friday attacked an educational institute in the Afghan capital, killing at least 19 people, media reports said.
As many as 27 others were wounded in the blast in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood of western Kabul, a predominantly Shia Muslim area and home to the minority Hazara community, Al Jazeera quoted police spokesman Khalid Zadran as saying.
“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,” he said.
Videos posted online and photos published by local media showed bloodied victims being carried away from the scene, the report said.
The victims included high school graduates, both girls and boys, who were taking a practice university entrance exam at the Kaj education centre when the blast went off, Zadran said. Schools are typically closed in Afghanistan on Fridays.
“Attacking civilian targets proves the enemy’s inhuman cruelty and lack of moral standards,” he said, without specifying who was believed to be behind the attack.
No group immediately claimed responsibility, BBC and Al Jazeera said.
Families rushed to area hospitals where ambulances were arriving with victims and lists of those confirmed dead and wounded were posted to the walls.
Resident Ghulm Sadiq said he was at home when he heard a loud sound. He went outside to see smoke rising from the education centre where he and neighbours rushed to help, Al Jazeera reported.
“My friends and I were able to move around 15 wounded and nine dead bodies from the explosion site … Other bodies were lying under chairs and tables inside the classroom,” he said.
Ethnic Hazara have alleged years of persecution by the ruling Taliban, which returned to power in the country following the withdrawal of US-led forces in August 2021, and have been the victims of several attacks claimed by the rival ISIL (ISIS) group.
The Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood has witnessed some of the worst attacks in Afghanistan in recent years.
In 2021, before the Taliban takeover, at least 85 people – mostly female students – were killed and about 300 others wounded when three bombs exploded near their school in Dasht-e-Barchi.
Since taking control, the Taliban government has emphasised that it is securing the nation following decades of war, but a series of attacks on mosques and civilian areas in recent months has challenged that narrative, the Al Jazeera report said.
UNI MR