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Kabul blasts kill six and wound 11 at boys’ school

A suspected twin suicide bombing outside a boys’ school in the Afghan capital Kabul has killed at least six people and wounded 11, officials say.

The blasts happened at the Abdul Rahim Shahid high school in the Shia-dominated west of the city. The number of dead and wounded is likely to rise.

A nearby tuition centre was also targeted in a grenade attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Islamic State militants have attacked the area in the past.

Earlier, sources from Muhammad Ali Jinnah Hospital in Kabul told the BBC they had received four dead bodies and 19 injured people so far from the school attack.

Students were leaving morning classes when the blasts happened, one witness told the AFP news agency.

Photographs from the aftermath of the explosions show bloodstains on the ground alongside discarded notebooks.

The area in which the attacks took place – Dasht-e-Barchi – has frequently been the target of attacks by the local branch of the Islamic State group because of its largely Hazara Shia Muslim population.

A Taliban fighter stands guard in Kabul on March 31, 2022 (file photo)IMAGE SOURCE,AFP
Image caption,

The Taliban still face a major security challenge from Islamic State fighters

Hazaras are an ethnic and religious minority frequently targeted by Sunni militant groups, who view them as heretics.

Local sources also said a hand grenade had been thrown at a nearby tuition centre for students preparing for a university entrance exam.

After a spate of IS attacks last year following the Taliban takeover, the group’s activities had declined.

People carry an injured man into a hospital after an explosion in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan, 08 May 2021.IMAGE SOURCE,EPA
Image caption,

A girls’ school in the same part of the city was attacked last May (file photo)

IS has carried out a devastating campaign against Shias in Afghanistan over the last few years. Scores have been killed in bombings on targets including sports halls, cultural centres and places of education.

Last May, more than 90 students and staff were killed in an attack by IS on a girls’ school in Dasht-e-Barchi.

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Media caption,

Girls’ hopes and fears about returning to school in Afghanistan
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