Blast at education institute in Kabul kills 19: police

KABUL: A suicide attack at an education institute in the Afghan capital of Kabul killed 19 people and wounded dozens, police said on Friday, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Many of those living in the western area where the blast occurred are Hazara, an ethnic minority targeted in past attacks launched by militant group Islamic State, among others.

Kabul police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said that 27 people had also been injured in the attack, revising the number of wounded down slightly from the 29 announced earlier.

He said the attack took place at an education institute where an entrance exam was taking place. Schools are normally closed in Afghanistan on Fridays.

“Attacking civilian targets proves the enemy’s inhuman cruelty and lack of moral standards,” the police spokesperson said, without specifying who they believed was behind the attack.

Videos posted online and photos published by local media showed bloodied victims being carried away from the scene.

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

Since taking over Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have emphasised that they are securing the nation following decades of war, but recent months have seen a series of blasts at mosques and civilian areas.

Teenage students were among the 24 people killed in a 2020 attack claimed by Islamic State at an education centre in west Kabul.