An attack on a school in the Afghan capital Kabul killed 19 and wounded 27, police said on Friday. The number of victims could still rise. According to a spokesman for the ruling Taliban, it was a suicide attack. The background to the fact is so far unclear.
The attack was carried out in the Dashte Barchi district, which is mostly inhabited by the Shia Hazara and which has often been the target of attacks by the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) in the past. In May 2021, for example, 68 people died in an attack near a girls’ school, many of them children.
According to the educational institution, the Kaj Education Center, an entrance exam for the university was taking place there at the time of the crime, in which schoolgirls also took part. After taking power last year, the Taliban severely restricted girls’ access to education. Most girls are only allowed to attend school up to the seventh grade. Private educational institutions such as the Kaj Education Center are an exception and offer older girls the opportunity to continue their education.