Bomb blast in Kabul kills 8, injures greater than 20

As many as eight individuals died and over 20 injured in a bomb blast in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Saturday

A view of the blast website in Kabul | Reuters

A bomb blast in a busy procuring avenue in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Saturday killed not less than eight individuals and injured 22, hospital officers and witnesses mentioned.

The bomb exploded in a western district of town the place members of the minority Shi’ite Muslim group frequently meet. Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim militant group, claimed accountability for the assault, the group mentioned on its Telegram channel.

A senior medical officer at a personal hospital mentioned not less than eight individuals died and 22 had been wounded.

An Interior Ministry spokesman mentioned an investigation workforce was on the blast website to assist the wounded and assess casualties.

Video footage posted on-line confirmed ambulances speeding to the scene, which can be close to bus stations.

The assault got here forward of Ashura, a commemoration of the martyrdom of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, which is marked primarily by Shi’ite Muslims.

On Friday, not less than eight individuals had been killed and 18 injured in a blast in Kabul carried out by Islamic State.

Islamic State doesn’t management any territory in Afghanistan nevertheless it has sleeper cells which have been attacking spiritual minorities within the nation in addition to patrols by the ruling Taliban.

The Sunni Muslim Taliban authorities, who took over Afghanistan in August final 12 months after a two-decade insurgency, have mentioned they may present extra safety for Shi’ite mosques and different amenities.

Sayed Kazum Hojat, a Shi’ite spiritual scholar in Kabul, mentioned the Taliban authorities had ramped up safety forward of Ashura however ought to enhance vigilance.

No up-to-date census knowledge exists, however estimates put the dimensions of the Shi’ite group at between 10-20% of the inhabitants of 39 million, together with Persian-speaking Tajiks and Pashtuns in addition to Hazaras.

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