A bomb attack on a religious school in northern Afghanistan has resulted in at least 17 fatalities and 26 injuries.
The explosion occurred in Aybak, Samangan province, while people were exiting prayers.
A source in Samangan informed that the bulk of those deceased is believed to be children between the ages of nine and fifteen.
No organization has claimed credit for the attack, and the number of fatalities could rise.
A doctor at the local hospital stated that the majority of the victims were schoolchildren.
One physician was quoted by AFP as adding, “They are all children and ordinary people.”
He added that other patients with life-threatening injuries were sent to larger facilities in Mazar-i-Sharif, around 120 kilometers (74 miles) away, for better care.
Interior ministry spokesman Abdul Nafee Takkur stated that the Taliban’s security forces were investigating the attack and vowed to “find and punish the offenders.”
Hamid Karzai, the former president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, tweeted that the explosion was a “crime against humanity” and conveyed his condolences to the victims’ families.
Aybak is an ancient city that rose to prominence in the fourth and fifth centuries as a commerce hub and Buddhist center. It is roughly 200 kilometers (130 miles) north of the capital city of Kabul.
Since the Taliban gained power in Afghanistan a year ago, dozens of explosions have occurred, the majority of which have been attributed to Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS-K).
The gang has targeted religious minorities, like the Hazaras, whom the Taliban have vowed to defend. Human Rights Watch reported nevertheless that “Taliban authorities have done little to safeguard these populations from suicide bombers and other illegal actions.”
At least 54 people, including 51 girls and young women, were killed in September when a suicide bomber detonated a bomb in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The target of the attack was a room where hundreds of students were taking a university entrance exam.
Later, Taliban authorities blamed ISIS-K for the attack, even though the group did not accept credit.
