A SUICIDE attack at a tutoring centre in the Afghan capital Kabul killed at least 19 people and wounded dozens, police said on Friday, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.
Many of those living in the western area where the blast occurred are Hazara, an ethnic mostly Shi’ite Muslim minority targeted in past attacks launched by the ultra-radical Islamic State and others.
Kabul police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said the official toll was 19 people dead and 27 wounded.
He said the attack took place at a private tutoring centre where an exam was taking place. Schools are usually closed in Afghanistan on Fridays.
“Attacking civilian targets proves the enemy’s inhuman cruelty and lack of moral standards,” he said, without specifying who was believed to be behind the attack.
The official death toll is likely to rise. A hospital source said 23 people had been killed. A Taliban source said 33 people had been killed and that female students were among the casualties.
Ghulm Sadiq, a local resident, said he was at home when he heard a loud sound and went outside to see smoke rising from the centre where he and neighbours rushed to help.
“My friends and I were able to move around 15 wounded and 9 dead bodies from the explosion site … other bodies were lying under chairs and tables inside the classroom,” he said.
Karen Decker, the U.S. charge d’affaires in Afghanistan, condemned the blast.
