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A suicide bomber struck near an educational center in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 18 people in an attack claimed by the extremist Islamic State that shook the conflict-ravaged country.
Violence on the ground has exploded in recent weeks despite the Taliban and the Afghan government holding peace talks in Qatar to end the war in the country.
The suicide attack, which also injured 57 people, occurred in the late afternoon in the center of a western Kabul district, which offers training courses and higher education.
“A suicide bomber wanted to enter the educational center,” Interior Ministry spokesman Tareq Arian said in a statement.
“But he was identified by the guards at the center, after which he detonated his explosives in an alley.”
He confirmed that the attack had killed 18 people and injured 57.
The extremist group Islamic State subsequently claimed responsibility for the attack.
A suicide bomber “departed for a meeting … in Kabul, where he detonated his jacket of explosives” in the crowd, ISIS said in a statement posted on its social media channels.
Witness Ali Reza said the blast sent dust and smoke around him.
“I was standing about 100 meters from the center when a big explosion knocked me down,” said Reza, who had gone to the hospital with his cousin, who was injured in the blast.
“The dust and smoke were all around me. All the dead and wounded were students who wanted to enter the center ”.
Later, residents gathered at the spot where puddles of dried blood could be seen where the attacker had detonated his explosive-laden vest.
Residents of several western Kabul districts belong to the minority Shiite Hazara community and are often targeted by Sunni IS extremists.
– ‘The world must take note’ –
In the past, extremists have attacked various educational centers and other facilities in the area.
In May, a group of gunmen launched a brazen daytime attack on a hospital in western Kabul that left several mothers dead. The gunmen were shot and killed after hours of clashes with security forces.
Washington blamed ISIS for that attack.
Saturday’s suicide attack came hours after a roadside bomb smashed through a bus east of the capital and killed nine civilians. Officials blamed the explosion on the Taliban.
On Friday, the human rights group Amnesty International said that at least 50 people had been killed in attacks the previous week, accusing both the Taliban and the government of failing to protect civilians.
“The world must sit down and take notice. Afghan civilians are massacred on a daily basis, ”said Omar Waraich, Amnesty South Asia Director.
“The international community must make the protection of civilians a fundamental requirement for its continued support to the peace process.”
Despite holding peace talks with government negotiators in Doha since last month, the Taliban have only increased violence, in a bid to exert influence at the negotiating table.
The top US envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said earlier this week that the fighting threatened the peace process.
However, the influence of the United States on the battlefields of Afghanistan is diminishing, and the Pentagon seeks to withdraw all its remaining troops by next May.
The Taliban were quick to exploit the apparent lack of resolve and began pushing for further military advances as soon as they signed a withdrawal agreement with the United States in February.
