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According to a Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Kabul police chief, a suicide bomber struck an education center in a Shiite neighborhood of the Afghan capital on Friday, killing 19 people and injuring 27 others.
According to the spokesman, Khalid Zadran, the explosion inside the center in Kabul's Dashti Barchi neighborhood—which is primarily home to members of the country's minority Shiite community—took place in the early morning hours.
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| Image Credit: The West Australian |
High school graduates, both boys and girls, who were taking a simulated university entrance exam when the explosion occurred were among the casualties, according to Zadran. The Kaaj Higher Educational Center is a facility that, among other things, aids students in getting ready for and studying for college entrance exams.
When holding events with large crowds, like the study prep on Friday, Zadran said education centers in the area will need to ask the Taliban for extra security.
Shafi Akbary, a 19-year-old high school student, was one of the witnesses and had been going to the center for the previous six months. Students were invited to arrive at the center at around 6:30 a.m. on Friday for the mock exam, and Akbary reported that about 300 students attended.
"At the main gate, we first overheard a few gunshots. Everyone attempted to flee in a different direction because they were alarmed. Soon after that, a sizable explosion took place inside the center, according to Akbary, who spoke on the phone with The Associated Press.
Akbary, who escaped the explosion unharmed, reported seeing numerous dead bodies and injured people strewn all around him. "I was so terrified that I couldn't even move to assist them. Later, other individuals rushed inside and removed us.
The most recent act of violence since the Taliban took control was a suicide bombing. Nobody immediately claimed ownership of the assault.
The Hazara community has previously been targeted by the Islamic State group, which has been the Taliban's main foe since their takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, including in Dashti Barchi.
Abdul Nafi Takor, a Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Interior Ministry, earlier declared that "our teams have dispatched at the site of the blast to find out more details."
In a tweet, Karen Decker, the American chargé d'affaires in Afghanistan, denounced the assault. Every student should be able to pursue their education in peace and without fear, she said, adding that it is shameful to target a classroom full of students who are taking exams. "We pray for the victims' quick recovery and stand in solidarity with the bereaved families," the statement reads.
The majority Shiite Muslim Hazaras of Afghanistan have been the target of a brutal violence campaign for several years, which has been attributed to the Islamic State group's regional affiliate. In Dashti Barchi, militants have carried out a number of deadly attacks, including a horrific attack on a maternity hospital in 2020 that left 24 people dead, including mothers and newborn babies.
The horrific attack on Friday horrified the United Nations Children's Fund, which added that violence in or near educational institutions was never acceptable.
According to a tweet from UNICEF, "this heinous act claimed the lives of dozens of adolescent girls and boys and severely injured many more." "Children and adolescents should never be the target of violence, and they never are."