The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for a deadly bomb attack on Friday evening, October 27, in a shopping center in the Afghan capital, Kabul. The explosion occurred in Dasht-e-Barchi, a neighborhood mainly populated by the Hazara Shiite community, according to Kabul police spokesperson Khalid Zadran, who reported a death toll of four and seven injured. An investigation is underway, he added.
“IS fighters managed to plant a parcel bomb into a room where Shiites were gathering,” the Sunni organization said in a statement.
The ultraradical group targeted a gym located inside the shopping center, an on-site monitor told Agence France-Presse on Friday.
Tensions with Pakistan
The Afghan Taliban authorities claim to have security in the country under control, but dozens of attacks targeting civilians have been carried out over the past two years. Most were claimed by EI-K, the local chapter of the Islamic State group.
Hundreds of people have been killed or injured in these attacks, mainly targeting Shiite, Sufi and Sikh religious minorities, foreigners or foreign interests, and the Taliban themselves.
The presence of IS fighters in Afghanistan is also raising tensions with neighboring Pakistan, which says these jihadists are crossing the border to strike targets on its territory.
