IS Claims Responsibility for Deadly Kabul Bus Blast

AFP/APP

Kabul: In Kabul, grief and sorrow envelop the city as the Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for a devastating blast that took the lives of two individuals and left 14 others wounded on a bus in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood.

The incident occurred on Saturday, amplifying the sense of vulnerability within the community and sparking widespread mourning throughout the Afghan capital.

Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said the explosion occurred in the capital’s Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood, an enclave of the historically oppressed Shiite Hazara community.

Related:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/8/isil-claims-credit-for-kabul-bus-attack-targeting-shias

“According to initial information, unfortunately, two civilians in the bus were killed and 14 others were injured,” Zadran said in a statement.

“The injured were rushed to hospitals, and police are investigating the incident.”

The regional chapter of IS claimed on Telegram that it was behind the explosion, the latest to hit the area in recent months.

In November, at least seven people were killed in an explosion on a bus in Dasht-e-Barchi that was also claimed by IS, which considers Shiites heretics.

The number of bomb blasts and suicide attacks in Afghanistan has reduced dramatically since the Taliban ended their insurgency after seizing power in August 2021, ousting the US-backed government.

However, many armed groups, including IS, remain a threat.