KABUL: Two explosions rocked a boys’ high school in western Kabul on Tuesday, killing six people and wounding 11, according to Afghan security and health officials.
Many residents in the neighbourhood belong to the Shia Hazara community, an ethnic and religious minority frequently targeted by Sunni militant groups, including Islamic State.
Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran told AFP that Tuesday’s blasts at the Abdul Rahim Shahid School were caused by improvised explosive devices and left at least six people killed and 11 wounded.
“These are preliminary figures. We are at the site and waiting for more details,” he said. Zadran said a third blast had occurred at an English language centre in the same area, but did not specify whether it was caused by an explosive.
Tuesday’s blasts occurred as students were coming out of their morning classes at the school, a witness told AFP. Grisly images posted on social media networks showed several bodies lying at the gate and compound of the school.
Initial findings show that at least six people were killed and 11 more were wounded in this morning’s blasts near a school in the west of Kabul, said Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for Kabul security department.#TOLOnews pic.twitter.com/sFEq0Z0DPC
— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) April 19, 2022
Images showed patches of blood, burnt books and school bags scattered at the premises. Taliban fighters were seen cordoning off the area. Victims were taken to hospital, but Taliban fighters kept journalists from the premises.
Attacks on public targets have largely diminished since the Taliban seized power in August last year, but IS continues to operate across the country.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which followed a lull in violence over the cold winter months and after foreign forces withdrew last year.
The Taliban say they have secured the country since taking power in August, but international officials and analysts say that the risk of a resurgence in militancy remains and the Islamic State militant group has claimed several major attacks.
In May last year at least 85 people — mainly girl students — were killed and about 300 were wounded when three bombs exploded near their school in Dasht-e-Barchi. No group claimed responsibility, but in October 2020 IS claimed a suicide attack on an educational centre in the same area that killed 24, including students.
