Officials say two bomb blasts at a boys’ school in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, have killed at least six people and injured more than 20 others.
The explosions occurred at the Abdul Rahim Shahid high school in the city’s Shia-dominated west. The number of those killed or injured is expected to climb. A grenade strike was also launched against a nearby tutoring centre.
There was no immediate admission of guilt. In the past, militants from the Islamic State have assaulted the area.
This community has been nothing but peaceful, Education lover and Hard-workers..
Why do they have to be butchered every other day?!
In these years I don’t think there’s any home left without losing a family member in attack/ blast in west kabul .#StopHazaraGenocide pic.twitter.com/R01GulXQTP— Nilofar Ayoubi (@NilofarAyoubi) April 19, 2022
Initial reports stated that suicide bombers targeted Abdul Rahim Shahid students and employees, but Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said improvised explosive devices were planted outside the school, killing six people.
“These are only rough estimates. We’ve arrived at the location and are awaiting more information “he stated
The bombs were placed in backpacks, according to an unnamed official quoted by Reuters, and one of them was detonated within the school gates.
Earlier, sources at Kabul’s Muhammad Ali Jinnah Hospital informed the BBC that the school attack had resulted in four deaths and 19 injuries. Other blast victims are being cared for in different locations.
One witness told the AFP news agency that the bombs occurred as students were leaving morning lessons.
Bloodstains on the ground and discarded notebooks may be seen in photos taken after the explosions.
Because of its predominantly Hazara Shia Muslim population, the area where the attacks occurred – Dasht-e-Barchi – has been a frequent target of attacks by the Islamic State’s local branch.
Sunni militant groups routinely target Hazaras, an ethnic and religious minority who are seen as heretics by Sunni militant groups.
A hand grenade was also hurled into a neighbouring tuition centre for students studying for a university entrance exam, according to local sources.
Following a wave of IS strikes last year in the aftermath of the Taliban’s takeover, the group’s activity had slowed.