The explosion occurred during prayer time, according to a representative of the provincial authorities
At least 16 people were killed and 24 injured, mostly young people, in an attack earlier today at a Koranic school in the northern Afghan city of Aybak.
“They are all children and ordinary people,” a doctor at a hospital in Aybak, the capital of Samangan province, about 300 kilometers north of Kabul, told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The blast occurred during prayer time, a spokesman for the provincial authorities, Emdadullah Muhajir, said.
As he said, “the explosion occurred at around 12:45 pm inside the Jahdia Madrasah in the center of the city. Many boys attend this religious school,” he added.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the explosion. As Muhajir said, an investigation has been launched.
A provincial official confirmed the blast, but could not provide details on casualties or information on the circumstances.
“Our investigators and security forces are working at a fast pace to identify the perpetrators of this unforgivable crime and punish them for their actions,” Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafai Thakor tweeted.
Photos and videos posted on social media, which could not be immediately confirmed, show Taliban fighters near corpses strewn on the floor of a building covered in traces of blood. Prayer rugs, broken glasses and other debris are also found in the same area.
The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 ended two decades of war in Afghanistan and led to a significant reduction in violence.
However, there have been dozens of attacks targeting civilians, most of which have been claimed by the Islamic State group.
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