Explosions at a girls' school in Kabul on Saturday killed at least 30 people and injured about 50, the Afghan Interior Ministry said.
A witness said there were three explosions near the Sayedul Shuhada School in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of the Afghan capital as pupils were leaving for the day.
"I was near the area when I heard three large booms and I panicked and ran. But within seconds we realised that the school was the target," Najeebullah, 24, told The National. Like many Afghans, he goes by one name.
“A lot of houses and shops in the area were also damaged. Lots of broken windows and doors,” he said.
“I saw so many bodies being rushed out of the school. People were carrying injured girls on motorbikes and cars and rushing them to the hospitals. A lot of people were crying.”
It was not clear what caused the explosions. The Taliban issued a statement denying responsibility.
ISIS, who have a small but growing presence in the country, did not immediately issue a statement.
The number of dead and injured was expected to rise as hospitals in the area said they were still receiving victims of the explosions.
The Health Ministry said 46 people were injured, but the number of dead was uncertain.
“Ambulance drivers were also among those injured when frustrated civilians vented their anger at health care workers who were there to collect the injured and those killed,” said Osman Tahiri, a deputy spokesman at the ministry.
Three of the nearest hospitals contacted by The National confirmed at least 50 injuries and five deaths, but casualty tolls mounted rapidly.
“Bodies have started arriving, and we have received five patients so far. But the people are still bringing in more,” said Farkhunda Karim, a medical staff at Amiri Barchi Hospital. “It seems like a big attack."
Mohammad Ali Jinnah Hospital confirmed receiving 20 injured, while the Imam Zaman Hospital said they had 11 injured and two deaths.
“All of them are girls between 16-18 years old,” said Khatima Safdari, a staff member at Imam Zaman.
Najeebullah, who lives in Dasht-e-Barchi, said the timing of the blasts suggested that it targeted girls at the school.
“The school is used for the boys in the mornings and the girls in grade 10 to 12 [ages 16 to 18] use it in the afternoon,” he said.
There have been previous attacks on students in this neighbourhood, which is populated predominantly by the Shiite Hazara minority that is often persecuted by insurgent groups.
About 24 people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his vest outside a private learning centre in the neighbourhood in October.
In August 2018, a similar attack inside the classroom of a learning centre killed 34 students.
Both attacks were claimed by the ISIS branch in Afghanistan.
While no insurgent group claimed responsibility for Saturday’s blasts, ISIS has often targeted Afghanistan’s minority groups.
“It is too early to say who are behind the attacks but if you look at the last attacks on us, particularly in Barchi, Daesh has always been the culprit,” Najeebullah said, referring to the group by its Arabic name.
“I don’t know what crime these innocent girls committed for them to suffer this fate. Why would they target schoolgirls?" he said. "What did they ever do them?”
Gallery: ongoing violence in Afghanistan
RESULTS
1.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winners: Hyde Park, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
2.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m
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4.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
Dubai World Cup prize money
Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
Group 2 1,600m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile - $750,000
Group 2 3,200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint – $1,000,000
Group 2 1,900m(Dirt) UAE Derby – $750,000
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Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Red flags
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Result
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
