Several explosives explode near a school in Afghanistan. It remains unclear who is responsible for the attack. The Taliban rejects allegations.
Kabul – In the capital of Afghanistan, several explosive devices exploded near a girls’ school on Saturday afternoon (May 8, 2021). More than 50 people were killed in the attack and over 100 others were injured, as the television channel “Tolo News” reported on Sunday. The school is located in the Dascht-e-Barchi district of Kabul. The area, which is mainly inhabited by Shiites, has been the target of numerous terrorist attacks in the past.
The students were leaving the school grounds when a car bomb exploded at the entrance to Sayed-ul-Schuhada High School. Panic broke out among the students, and a little later two more explosives detonated, as a spokesman for the Interior Ministry of Afghanistan described the course of events. The majority of the victims are schoolgirls.
Government in Afghanistan blames Taliban for attack
The government initially blamed the radical Islamist part of the Taliban for the attack. The origin of the current violence in the country can be found among the insurgents, as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani emphasized. “The Taliban are intensifying the violence, proving that they have no interest in peace in the country,” he told Tolo News. The Taliban rejects the allegations. The nation must “protect and supervise educational centers and institutions,” said Taliban leader Haibatullah Achundsada on Sunday. No other group initially committed to the attack.
The Hazaras, a majority Shiite minority in Afghanistan, live in the Dascht-e-Barchi district of Kabul. In the past, the “Islamic State” (IS) repeatedly targeted Shiite mosques, cultural centers and educational institutions as targets of terrorist attacks.
Withdrawal of troops by NATO and the USA from Afghanistan – security situation tense
But the girls’ schools are also a thorn in the side of the Taliban. In the 1990s, when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, girls were banned from going to school. Women were also not allowed to work outside of their home. According to its own information, the organization has not carried out any more attacks since it signed a peace treaty with the US government in February 2020. Nevertheless, you fight daily with Afghan armed forces.
The agreement decided to end the longest war effort in history. The US government plans to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by the important date of September 11, 2021. At the end of April, the United States began withdrawing troops – with some delay, in the original agreement they named May 1, 2021 as the final date. NATO also wants to end the Afghanistan mission by September at the latest.
The USA called the latest bomb attack a “barbaric act”, and the Representation of the European Union in Afghanistan spoke of an attack on the future of Afghanistan. Concern for the future of the country in the face of new fighting and attacks is growing. (Sebastian Richter / dpa / afp / epd)
Header list image: © Rahmat Gul / dpa
