17 dead in Afghanistan school explosion: ‘children and ordinary people’

At least 17 people were killed and 23 injured as a result of the bombing of a Muslim school in Aybak, northern Afghanistan. The doctor at the hospital who received the victims said most of them were students under the age of 18.

“They are all children and ordinary people,” the health worker, who asked not to be named, told AFP. A local government official confirmed the explosion earlier today, but did not give the death toll as announced by the BBC in an unofficial poll among city officials.

Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August last year, there have been dozens of explosions and attacks on civilians in the country, many of which have been claimed by IS’s local branch in Coraçone Province.

The group is known for its extremist positions, targeting mainly religious minorities, such as the Hazaras, who are also Muslims but follow Shia lines, as opposed to the overwhelming majority of Afghans who are Sunni who are known for accepting the holy books of the Sunnah. A sacred document describing the experiences of Muhammad when they doubted the interpretation of the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam.

The Taliban said they would help protect threatened minorities by taking power, but the NGO human Rights Watch recently noted that “Taliban authorities have done little to protect these communities from suicide bombers and other illegitimate attacks.”????????

The city where today’s incident took place is located approximately 200 kilometers north of the capital, Kabul. So far, no terrorist cell has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The explosion reportedly occurred as members of the school were leaving a meeting to perform routine prayers at the religious institution. Afghan Interior Minister spokesman Abdul Nafee Takkur said Taliban security forces were investigating the attack and would “identify those responsible and punish them for their actions”.

In September, at least 54 people were killed in an attack similar to today’s by a suicide bomber in a lobby in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, that targeted hundreds of students taking the entrance exam. Among the victims were at least 51 teenagers and young women.

Although Taliban leaders at the time claimed that the local branch of IS was responsible for the attack, the group never claimed responsibility.

*with AFP