Suicide bombing kills 19, mostly girls, at Kabul education centre
- Attack occurred in area that is home to the Hazara community, which has been targeted by Isis in past
- The bombing was the latest in a steady stream of violence since the Taliban seized power last year
A suicide bomb attack on a classroom of hundreds of people preparing for exams in the Afghan capital on Friday killed at least 19 people, with most of the casualties being girls, police and a witness said.
The blast ripped through Kaaj Higher Educational Centre, which coaches mainly adult men and women ahead of university entrance tests.
“We were around 600 in the class. But most of the casualties are among the girls,” Akbar, a student who was wounded in the attack, told Agence France-Presse from a nearby hospital.
A member of the centre who asked not to be named said the attacker killed two guards and several students at the entrance gate before blowing himself up among female students in the hall.
“Students were preparing for an exam when a suicide bomber struck at this educational centre. Unfortunately, 19 people have been martyred and 27 others wounded,” Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said.