Islamic State claims responsibility for Kabul bomber who killed 48 people

Explosion outside a voter registration centre destroyed cars, damaged bldgs

A resident inspects the site of the suicide bombing in Dasht-e-Barchi on Sunday

At least 48 people were killed and 112 wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a voter registration centre in Afghanistan's capital city. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on a project of key importance to the credibility of President Ashraf Ghani's Western-backed government, which has pledged to hold parliamentary elections this year.

A wounded child gets treatment at a local hospital. Pics/AFP

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said a bomber on foot approached the centre where officials had been issuing identity cards as part of the registration process for voters for the election scheduled for October. Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro confirmed the toll from Sunday's attack. The explosion destroyed cars and shattered windows in nearby buildings, leaving rubble strewn across the street.

The blast took place in Dasht-e-Barchi, an area of western Kabul inhabited by many members of the Shi'ite Hazara minority, which has been repeatedly hit by attacks claimed by the IS. "There were women, children. Everyone had come to get their identity cards," said Bashir Ahmad who had been nearby when the blast occurred, despite heightened security measures following an attack in January, when 100-odd people were killed by a bomb concealed in an ambulance.

In solidarity

Ministry of External Affairs,India
'India strongly condemns cowardly terrorist attack in Kabul and Baghlan today. What makes this attack particularly reprehensible is the fact that the terrorists and their backers chose to attack a voters' registration centre for upcoming parliamentary and district council elections'

112
Number of injured

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