Kabul Terror Attack: 26 Dead in Suicide Blast Near Shia Shrine in Afghan Capital, ISIS Claims Responsibility
Italian aid group Emergency, which runs one of Kabul’s main trauma hospitals, said those killed were either part of the Nowruz procession passing near the shrine, or had left the shrine to join the procession.
Kabul, Mar 21: At least 26 were killed and 18 others injured in a suicide blast near a Shia shrine in Kabul on Wednesday. Shortly after the attack, terror group Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility via its news agency Al Amaq.
The fidayeen who perpetrated the attack close to the revered Kart-e Sakhi shrine reportedly used a van to detonate himself. Eyewitnesses said the blast erupted after the devotees were moving out of the shrine and walking towards the path of Kabul University.
The attack also comes on a day when scores of residents in Kabul had organised celebrations to mark the onset of Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
Italian aid group Emergency, which runs one of Kabul’s main trauma hospitals, said those killed were either part of the Nowruz procession passing near the shrine, or had left the shrine to join the procession.
No female casualties have been reported. "All the deceased and injured victims are young men," Interior Ministry spokesperson Najib Danesh said.
The practice of celebrating Nowruz is not only demised by the ISIS, but also a sizeable section of fundamentalist Muslims in Afghanistan, who call the festival un-Islamic.
The death toll incurred in the attack was confirmed by Nasrat Rahimi, Interior Ministry's deputy spokesperson, while speaking to TOLO News. The casualties, however, could further rise.
The last major terror attack in Kabul which cause similar fatalities was reported in January, when 100 people were killed in bomb blasts carried out by the Taliban cadres.
The attack on Wednesday raises questions over the "security mechanism enhanced" by President Ashraf Ghani in wake of the deadly terror assault of January.
In a bid to bring stability back to Afghanistan, Ghani last month initiated fresh round of backchannel dialogue with the Taliban, the prime insurgent group in the region.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 21, 2018 03:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).