One killed in explosion claimed by IS in Afghan capital

KABUL: One person was killed, and three others wounded by an explosion in Kabul on Saturday evening, Afghan police said, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility for the sticky bomb attack.

The improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated in the Kot-e-Sangi neighbourhood, near an enclave of the historically persecuted Shiite Hazara community, which has been targeted by the militant group in the past.

“The sticky bomb was planted on a minibus,” Kabul police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said in a statement late Saturday.

“The driver of the vehicle lost his life, and three other civilians were injured.”

Security personnel were investigating the incident, the statement added.

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility on its Telegram channel, saying a minibus carrying Hazaras was blown up as it passed through a Taliban checkpoint.

The attack “led to its destruction and the killing and wounding of around 10” people, the IS statement said.

The number of bombings and suicide attacks in Afghanistan has reduced dramatically since the Taliban ended their insurgency after ousting the US-backed government and returning to power in August 2021.

However, a number of armed groups, including IS, remain a threat.

Multiple people were killed last month when a an IS suicide bomber targeted a bank as people were gathering to collect their salaries. Authorities put the blast’s toll at three, but hospital sources told AFP 20 people were killed.