Dozens of Afghan students killed after suicide bombing in Kabul

ByNews Desk- The Cradle 

Afghanistan's Shia Hazara minority has become the target of a bloody terror campaign launched by ISIS

At least 40 people died and over dozens more were injured after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a school in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood of western Kabul, a predominantly Shia Hazara area.

The official death toll is expected to rise significantly.

“Students were preparing for an exam when a suicide bomber struck at this educational center,” police spokesman Khalid Zadran said.

“Security teams have reached the site, the nature of the attack and the details of the casualties will be released later,” Interior Ministry Spokesman Abdul Nafy Takor tweeted earlier.

The victims were mainly high school graduates, both girls and boys, who were taking a practice university entrance exam at the Kaj education center, as schools are typically closed in Afghanistan on Fridays.

No group immediately claimed responsibility; however, ISIS has been carrying out a bloody terror campaign against Afghanistan’s Shia Hazara minority since the chaotic withdrawal of US troops last year.

A week ago, at least seven civilians, including children, were killed after a car bomb exploded near a mosque in Kabul during Friday prayers.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal published last November, US-trained spies and military personnel bolstered the ranks of ISIS in Afghanistan after being abandoned by Washington.

ISIS also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing outside the Russian embassy in Kabul, which killed two Russian diplomats and at least four Afghan civilians.

The Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood has witnessed some of the worst attacks in Afghanistan in recent years.

In 2021, prior to the Taliban’s return to power, at least 85 people were killed and about 300 others wounded when three bombs exploded near their school in Dasht-e-Barchi.