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Reuters

A bomb blast in a passenger van in Kabul on Saturday killed at least one person, officials said, in the second explosion in the Afghan capital in two days, as security concerns rise on the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday, according to the group’s Telegram channel.
“One woman was killed and three more injured,” Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for Kabul’s Commander, told Reuters.
A day earlier, an explosion killed more than 50 worshippers after Friday prayers at a Kabul mosque amid a spate of mosque attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
‘I thought my eardrums were cracked’: Kabul mosque blast kills 50
One witness to the passenger van blast, Ali Maisam, 19, who was waiting outside a nearby bakery at the time, said he saw a number of bodies.
“I saw people coming out of the minibus with bloody and burnt faces … I saw that four bodies were taken out and a woman was among the dead,” he said.
Security concerns have risen across Afghanistan as the country prepares to mark Eid al-Fitr on Sunday under Taliban rule for the first time in more than 20 years, after the group was removed from power following a US invasion in 2001.

The Taliban retook power last August after foreign forces pulled out of the country and since then Afghanistan has been grappling with a rise in attacks by Islamic State.
Taliban authorities announced on Saturday that Eid would be marked the following day, leading to raucous rounds of celebratory gunfire in the streets of Kabul late on Saturday night.
The authorities also moved to assuage people’s fears over security ahead of Eid.
“We ensure our countrymen we will ensure security during Eid,” spokesman for Afghan interior ministry Abdul Nafee Takor said.


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Afghanistan

Islamic State claims responsibility for bombing in Kabul on eve of Eid al-Fitr holiday

A Taliban fighter stands guard as people wait to receive food rations distributed by a Chinese humanitarian aid group, during the holy month of Ramadan, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Saturday. Photo: AP

People who were injured leave the scene of the bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Pakistan warns Afghanistan not to shelter militants, as death toll from strikes rises to at least 47

Demonstrators take part in a protest against Pakistani airstrikes in Khost Province, Afghanistan. Photo: AFP 

Demonstrators take part in a protest against Pakistani airstrikes in Khost Province. Photo: AFP 

More than 50 killed as powerful blast rips through Kabul mosque

An ambulance carries victims near the blast site in Kabul on Friday. Photo: AFP

Chinese foreign minister makes surprise stop in Afghanistan for talks with Taliban leaders

China remains tight-lipped over what Amir Khan Muttaqi (left) and Wang Yi discussed in Kabul on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Taliban acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (centre right) meets China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi (centre left) in Kabul on Thursday. Photo: AFP

What Pakistan suicide blast reveals about the Balochistan insurgency and China

Pakistani security officials at the site of a suicide attack in Karachi. Photo: EPA-EFE

Pakistanis attend a candle light vigil in remembrance of the victims who were killed in a suicide bombing in Karachi. Photo: EPA-EFE

Senator Mushahid Hussain. Photo: Handout

News

World

Russia & Central Asia


Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday, which comes a day after an explosion killed more than 50 worshippers in Kabul
Security concerns have risen across Afghanistan as it prepares to mark Eid al-Fitr on Sunday under Taliban rule for the first time in more than 20 years



Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday, which comes a day after an explosion killed more than 50 worshippers after Friday prayers in Kabul.


Islamic State