It was a sad Saturday for Dasht-e-Barchi -- an area in Afghanistan occasionally targeted by Sunni Islamist militants. The bomb blast occurred in the vicinity of a secondary school in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. It left at least 50 people dead and more than 100 injured. A ministry of education spokeswoman says most of the victims were girls. The BBC reporting about the explosions says the timing coincided with that of students leaving the building on Saturday. The area has been a target of Sunni Islamist militants in the past. Pictures on social media showed school bags lying on the street.
Initial investigations revealed the use of a car bomb and two improvised explosive devices IEDs planted in the area. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. It is difficult for the investigators to identify the people or group who committed such an act of violence.
Reasons for the Afghanistan bomb attack not clear
Officials of the government of Afghanistan blamed Taliban militants for the attack. However, the group denied any involvement. The group has been active in the country for a long time and was involved in acts of violence in the past. Hence, it becomes the prime suspect. The BBC adds that last year there was an attack in a local hospital. It was in a maternity unit, and it left 24 dead.
The victims were women, children, and babies. The authorities are investigating the latest incident in Dasht-e-Barchi, and the reasons behind this act of violence remain shrouded in mystery. In August 2019, a suicide bomber killed at least 63 at a wedding in Afghanistan and left many others injured.
The U.S. plans to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan
The latest bomb blasts are against a backdrop of rising violence in the country. There are U.S. troops positioned in Afghanistan, and America has plans to withdraw them by 11 September. The BBC mentions that the city was going about its normal activities, and students came out from the government-run school when the bombs exploded.
The school caters to both boys and girls and runs for three sessions. The girls study in the second session. Witnesses said there were three explosions, and the sights left bystanders traumatized. The U.S. State Department condemned "the barbarous attack" and called for an immediate end to violence. The European Union's mission in Afghanistan described it as an attack on the future of Afghanistan.
No group accepted responsibility for the Afghanistan bomb attack
According to Sky News, a bomb attack near a school in the capital of Afghanistan took more than 50 innocent lives. Another 150 are injured. Most of them were girls in the age group 11 to 15. They were leaving school when the attack took place.
The authorities are trying to find out which group committed this mass killing. It was sudden, and it took everyone by surprise. An official of the health ministry said angry crowds attacked ambulances and workers who were trying to evacuate the wounded. One of the grieving relatives told a section of the media: "I do not know what country we are in... We want peace and security." Afghan President Ashraf Ghani blamed the Taliban for the school attack, but one of their spokesmen denied it and condemned the incident. He dropped hints of involvement of the Islamic State group. There have been past instances of the IS attacking education facilities that took lives. Incidents of this nature, with the sight of blood and dismembered bodies, leave the survivors traumatized; incidentally, in November 2019, former President Donald Trump made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan to share Thanksgiving with U.S. troops in the country.
