UN Afghanistan expert condemns ‘attack’ near Kabul school

A United Nations expert on Afghanistan condemned a recent attack near a school in Kabul, which resulted in numerous children being injured. Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, described the incident as heinous and emphasized the need for a full and independent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.

The explosion occurred on Monday in the western Dasht-e-Barchi area, home to the persecuted Shiite Hazara community, while children were being dismissed from a private primary school. A local resident reported that wounded children were taken to safety by ambulances and cars, with the resident herself estimating a large number of casualties.

Kabul police confirmed the blast was a hand grenade explosion, stating that several children sustained minor injuries. Security forces were present at the scene, and an investigation is underway. This attack is part of a series of sporadic attacks in Kabul over the past five years of Taliban rule, including a deadly explosion at a Chinese restaurant in January that killed at least seven people and a car bomb outside a girls' school in 2021 that killed at least 90 and wounded hundreds.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for attacks in Dasht-e-Barchi, targeting Shiite Hazaras.