At Least 29 Martyred near Shrine in Afghan Capital
Local Editor
A suicide bomber blew himself up near a Shi'ite shrine in Kabul on Wednesday, martyring at least 29 people and wounding dozens, officials said, as the Afghan capital celebrated the Nowruz holiday marking the start of the Persian New Year.
The explosion underlined the threat to the city from militant attacks, despite government promises to tighten security in the wake of an attack in January that killed around 100 people.
Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL' group], which claimed several previous attacks on Shi'ite targets, claimed responsibility, its Amaq news agency said. The Taliban issued a statement denying any connection.
Kabul had been on alert for attacks over the Nowruz holiday but the bomber was still able to detonate his explosives as people were leaving the Kart-e Sakhi shrine, in a heavily Shi'ite area in the west of the city.
"When the explosion took place, I fell to the ground and I saw many people on the ground around me," said Ramazan, who was wounded in the blast at the shrine, near the city's main university.
Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said the bomber had apparently intended to reach the shrine, which was attacked during a Shi'ite festival in October 2016, but had been prevented from getting closer by police checkpoints.
"We had our security in place in and around the shrine," he said. "All the casualties were young people who were either passing by on the road or gathering to enjoy Nowruz."
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
