ISIS Suicide Bombers Target Afghan Wrestling Watch, Killing 22

Attacks targeted sports center in Shi'ite neighborhood

A pair of attackers from ISIS hit a wrestling match in the Shi’ite part of the Afghan capital city of Kabul. The first attacker killed a guard outside the sports center, forced his way in, and detonated in the crowd. A second bomber detonated outside in a car, causing more casualties.

At least 22 people were killed in the attacks, all civilians. The bomber inside the sports center killed 20 people, while the car bomber killed two reporters and wounded a number of other civilians. The reporters were from TOLOnews, a major Afghan media outlet. The reporters were covering the aftermath of the attack.

ISIS was quick to issue a statement taking credit for the attack. This was unsurprising, as the Afghan ISIS affiliate has been carrying out a large number of attacks on the Shi’ite parts of Kabul in recent months.

This comes just a month ahead of the election in Afghanistan. Security, or lack thereof, is likely to be a major issue in the campaign, and the current government’s inability to provide even basic security in the capital city.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.