At least 19 killed, 27 wounded after suicide bomber strikes Kabul school

 A suicide bomber struck an education institution in a Shiite area of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on Friday, killing 19 people and wounding 27 others.

A Taliban spokesman said that students were taking practice entry exams for university when the incident took place. Reportedly, the morning explosion at the educational centre took place in Kabul's Dashti Barchi neighbourhood, an area populated mostly by ethnic Hazaras, who belong to Afghanistan's minority Shiite community.

Around 300 recent high school graduates had come to the Kaaj Higher Educational Centre at 6:30 am to take practice exams, said one survivor, 19-year-old Shafi Akbary. Reportedly, the institution helps students prepare and study for the entrance exams, among other activities. The survivor said, “First, we heard the sounds of a few gunshots at the main gate of the centre. Everyone was worried and tried to run in order to protect themselves. Suddenly, a huge explosion occurred inside the centre.”

The survivor said that he saw dozens of bodies and wounded people scattered around him. The Taliban-appointed spokesman of the Kabul police said that students were among the victims of the blast.

One wounded student revealed that most of the victims were girls. Resident Ghulm Sadiq said that he saw smoke rising from the education centre. 

According to the Interior Ministry spokesman, Abdul Nafi Takor, Police have arrested a suspect who may have links to the attack. However, no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood of Kabul has witnessed some of the worst attacks in recent years. The Islamic State group has carried out repeated attacks on schools, hospitals and mosques in the Dashti Barchi neighbourhood and other Shiite areas in recent years.

In 2021, before the Taliban takeover, at least 85 people – mostly female students – were killed when three bombs exploded near their school in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood.