ISIS Suicide Bomb Kills 30 in Afghan Education Center

Witnesses say victims were students who wanted to enter the center

A major suicide bombing hit the Afghan capital city of Kabul today, targeting an education center in a Shi’ite dominated neighborhood. At least 30 people were killed and 70 others wounded in the attack. ISIS has claimed credit for it.

Official figures are still rising, especially on the wounded, as a lot of people were taken to different hospitals around the city, and many family members are still searching for relatives who were at the site.

Witnesses say that the slain were all students who were waiting to enter the center. The wounded were just generally in the area, as the bombing shook the entire neighborhood, shattering windows.

The suicide bomber was caught by security while trying to enter the building. He has not been identified, beyond ISIS claiming credit. ISIS attacks in Afghanistan commonly target the Shi’ite minority, and that likely explains the neighborhood it took place in.

Afghan Shi’ites have complained that the government does not offer them sufficient security given how often militant groups want to target them. The government has argued that they provide the Shi’ites with plenty of security.

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.