At least 27 others wounded in the explosion at the Kabul education centre in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood.
A suicide bomber attacked an educational institute in the Afghan capital, killing at least 19 people.
As many as 27 others were wounded in the blast early Friday, which occurred in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood of western Kabul, a predominantly Shia-Muslim area home to the minority Hazara community, according to police spokesman Khalid Zadran.
“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 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.
Families rushed to area hospitals where ambulances were arriving with victims and lists of those confirmed dead and wounded were posted to the walls.
The Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood has witnessed some of the worst attacks in Afghanistan in recent years.
In 2021, prior to 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
No group claimed responsibility for that attack, but a year earlier, the ISIL claimed responsibility a suicide attack on an educational centre in the same area that killed 24, including students.
In April of this year, two deadly bomb blasts at separate education centres in the area killed six people and wounded 20 others.
Since taking control, the Taliban government has emphasised that they are securing the nation following decades of war, but a series of attacks on mosques and civilian areas in recent months has challenged that narrative.
Source: Al Jazeera
Dated: September 30, 2022
