EU Condemns Kabul Blast Near School in Shia District

DID Press: The European Union on Tuesday condemned an explosion near the Shama-e Hedayat private school in western Kabul and expressed concern over reports that dozens of students were injured.

The blast occurred Monday in the Mahdiya township of Dasht-e Barchi, a predominantly Shia area. Local sources reported that nearly 50 students were wounded, although the final casualty figures have not been independently verified.

The European Union stressed that schools must remain safe places for children and described deliberate attacks against students and educational facilities as “unacceptable.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast. Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban government, said Islamic State (ISIS) or affiliated groups may have been involved and that investigations were continuing to identify and arrest those responsible.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, also described the explosion as “shocking” and called for a full and independent investigation to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.