Blast hits Shi’ite area of Afghan capital Kabul

A magnetic bomb attached to a mini van exploded in a heavily Shi’ite area of the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, November 13, causing an unknown number of casualties, a Taliban official and local residents said.

A recent spate of such attacks has heaped more pressure on the Taliban rulers, who took power following the collapse of the Western-backed government in August and are also grappling with economic crisis and potential famine.

The Taliban official, who declined to be named, said six people had been killed and at least seven wounded in the blast in the Dasht-e Barchi area of western Kabul.

There was no confirmation of casualty numbers and no immediate claim of responsibility. The area is heavily populated by Shi’ite ethnic Hazaras who have been the target of repeated attacks by Islamic State militants.

Two Taliban officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Islamic State was also behind Saturday’s attack but there was no official comment from the movement’s security forces.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s main spokesman, said a fire had broken out in the Dasht-e Barchi area of western Kabul, killing at least one civilian and injuring two others. An investigation was underway, he said in a tweet.

‘Big flames’

A local man, who gave his name as Ismael, said he had reached the area a few minutes after the explosion, which occurred a day after an attack on a Sunni mosque in eastern Afghanistan.

“When I arrived, I saw the big flames,” he said. “It was a mini van which was targeted by a sticky bomb.”

He said a friend who had helped carried wounded to a nearby hospital said at least three or four people had been killed.

Images shared on social media showed flames and a thick cloud of black smoke spiraling into the sky. At least two people suffered serious burn injuries, according to a director of a nearby hospital that specializes in burn cases. – Rappler.com