KABUL: A suicide bomber struck near an educational center in the Afghan capital on Saturday and killed at least 18 people in the latest attack to hit 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 late in the afternoon at the center, which offers training and courses for higher education students in a western district of Kabul.
“A suicide bomber wanted to enter the educational center,” Tareq Arian, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said in a statement.
“But he was identified by the guards at the center, after which he detonated his explosives in an alley.”
He said the attack left at least 18 dead and 57 wounded.
“I was about 100 meters from the center when a big explosion knocked me down,” said local resident Ali Reza, who had gone to the hospital with his cousin, who was injured in the blast.
“There was dust and smoke around me. All the dead and wounded were students who wanted to enter the center.”
No group has taken responsibility for the attack. The Taliban said it was not involved.
Residents in several western Kabul districts belong to the minority Shiite Hazara community, often targeted by Sunni extremists from the Islamic State group.
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.
The suicide attack occurred hours after a bomb on the road it ran through a bus east of Kabul, killing 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 in the past week, accusing the Taliban and the Afghan government of failing to protect civilians.
“The world must sit down and take notice. Afghan civilians are slaughtered daily,” said Omar Waraich, South Asia director at Amnesty International.
“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 the Afghan government in Doha since last month, the Taliban have only increased violence, in an attempt to exert influence in the negotiations.
America’s top envoy for AfghanistanZalmay Khalilzad said earlier this week that the fighting threatened the peace process.
Influence of the United States on AfghanistanHowever, the battlefields are in decline and the Pentagon seeks to withdraw all of 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.
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