Highlights
- At least 8 people were killed, and 22 others injured due to a bomb blast in Afghanistan's Kabul.
- Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack.
- The attack came ahead of Ashura, a commemoration of the martyrdom of Hussein.
Afghanistan bomb blast: At least 8 people were killed, and 22 others injured due to a bomb blast in Afghanistan's Kabul on Saturday night, reported news agency Reuters. Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack, the group said on its Telegram channel.
The blast took place in a busy shopping street and video footage online showed ambulances rushing to the scene, which is also near bus stations. The attack came ahead of Ashura, a commemoration of the martyrdom of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, which is marked mainly by Shi'ite Muslims.
A similar attack had taken place on Friday in a minority Shiite neighbourhood of the Afghan capital, killing at least 8 people and wounding 18. The explosion occurred in western Kabul’s Puli-e Sokhta area. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but blame is likely to fall on the Islamic State group, which has targeted Afghanistan’s minority Shiites in large-scale attacks in the past.
The regional affiliate of IS, known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, has increased attacks on mosques and minorities across the country since the Taliban seized power last August.
IS, which emerged in eastern Afghanistan in 2014, is seen as the most significant security challenge facing the country’s new Taliban rulers. Following their takeover a year ago, the Taliban have launched a sweeping crackdown on IS.
No up-to-date census data exists, but estimates put the size of the Shi'ite community at between 10-20% of the population of 39 million, including Persian-speaking Tajiks and Pashtuns as well as Hazaras.
