Bomb kills at least 55 at girls' school in Afghan capital
09 May, 2021
A bomb exploded at a girls' school in a majority Shiite district of west Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 55 people, most of them young pupils between 11 and 15 years old. The Taliban condemned the attack and denied any responsibility.
Ambulances evacuated the wounded as relatives and residents screamed at authorities close to the scene of the blast at Syed Al-Shahda school, in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood, Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said.
The bombing, apparently aimed to cause maximum civilian carnage, adds to fears that violence in the war-wrecked country could escalate as the U.S. and NATO end practically twenty years of military engagement.
Residents in the region said the explosion was deafening. One, Naser Rahimi, told The Associated Press he heard three separate explosions, although there is no official confirmation of multiple blasts. Rahimi also said he believed that the sheer power of the explosion meant the death toll would probably climb.
Rahimi said the explosion went off as girls were streaming out of the school at around 4:30 p.m. local time. Authorities were investigating the attack but have yet to verify any details.
Among the students fleeing the school recalled the attack. the screaming of girls, the blood.
“I was with my classmate, we were leaving the institution, when suddenly an explosion happened, “ said 15-year-old Zahra, whose arm have been broken by a piece of shrapnel.
“Ten minutes later there was another explosion and simply a short while later another explosion,” she said. "Individuals were yelling and there was blood everywhere, and I couldn’t see anything clearly.” Her friend died.
While nobody has claimed responsibility for the bombing, the Afghan Islamic State affiliate has targeted the Shiite neighborhood before.
The radical Sunni Muslim group has declared war on Afghanistan's minority Shiite Muslims. Washington blamed IS for a vicious attack last year in a maternity hospital in the same area that killed women that are pregnant and newborn babies.
In Dasht-e-Barchi, angry crowds attacked the ambulances and even beat health staff because they tried to evacuate the wounded, Health Ministry spokesman Ghulam Dastigar Nazari said. He implored residents to cooperate and allow ambulances free usage of the site.
Images circulating on social media purportedly showed bloodied school backpacks and books strewn next door in front if the institution, and smoke rising above a nearby.
At one nearby hospital, Associated Press journalists saw at least 20 dead bodies prearranged in hallways and rooms, with a large number of wounded people and groups of victims pressing through the facility.
Outside the Muhammad Ali Jinnah Hospital, dozens of men and women prearranged to donate blood, while family members checked casualty posted lists on the walls.
Both Arian and Nazari said that at least 50 persons were also wounded, and that the casualty toll could rise. The attack occurred just as the fasting day found an end.
Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, and Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters in a note that only the Islamic State group could be in charge of such a heinous crime. Mujahid also accused Afghanistan's intelligence agency to be complicit with IS, although he offered no evidence.
The Taliban and the Afghan government have traded accusations over some targeted killings of civil society workers, journalists and Afghan professionals. While IS has taken responsibility for a few of those killings, many have gone unclaimed.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement condemning the attack, blaming the Taliban even while they denied it. He offered no proof.
IS has previously claimed attacks against minority Shiites in the same area, this past year claiming two brutal attacks on education facilities that killed 50 people, almost all of them students.
Even while the IS has been degraded in Afghanistan, according to government and U.S. officials, it has stepped-up its attacks particularly against Shiite Muslims and women workers.
Earlier the group took responsibility for the targeted killing of three women media personnel in eastern Afghanistan.
The attack comes days following the remaining 2,500 to 3,500 American troops officially began leaving the country. They will be out by Sept 11 at the most recent. The pullout comes amid a resurgent Taliban, who control or hold sway over half of Afghanistan.
The top U.S. military officer said Sunday that Afghan government forces face an uncertain future and perhaps some “bad possible outcomes” against Taliban insurgents as the withdrawal accelerates in the coming weeks.
Source: japantoday.com
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