Suicide bomb attack hits Kabul, many killed
(30 Sep 2022) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCISTED PRESS Kabul - 30 September 2022 1. Ambulance driving away 2. Various of Taliban police members blocking site of explosion 3. Various of building damaged in explosion, metal sheet and police vehicle 4. SOUNDBITE (Dari) Ahmad Jawad, eyewitness: "There was a university entrance exam today at Kaaj educational center, and the explosion happened inside the classroom where the exam was taking place. I saw so many headless martyred victims and there were also martyred victims who didn't have any injuries or wounds in the bodies, but blood was coming out of their noses and hears." 5. Various of fire engine arriving at site 6. Taliban fighter STORYLINE: A suicide bomber struck an education center in a Shiite area of the Afghan capital on Friday, killing 19 people and wounding 27, a Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Kabul police chief said. The explosion inside the center in the Dashti Barchi neighborhood of Kabul — populated mostly by members of Afghanistan's minority Shiite community — took place in the morning hours, said the spokesman, Khalid Zadran. The victims included high school graduates, both girls and boys, who were taking a practice university entrance exam when the blast went off, Zadran said. The center is known as the Kaaj Higher Educational Center and helps students prepare and study for college entrance exams, among its activities. Zadran said education centers in the area will need to ask the Taliban for additional security when they host events with big gatherings, such as the study prep on Friday. The center had invited students to come at around 6:30 a.m. on Friday for the practice exam. The suicide bombing was the latest in a steady stream of violence since the Taliban seized power. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The Islamic State group — the chief rival of the Taliban since their takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 — has in the past targeted the Hazara community, including in Dashti Barchi. Afghanistan's Hazaras, who are mostly Shiite Muslims, have been the target of a brutal campaign of violence for the past several years, blamed on the regional affiliate of the Islamic State group. Militants have carried out several deadly attacks in Dashti Barchi, including a horrific 2020 attack on a maternity hospital that killed 24 people, including newborn babies and mothers. =========================================================== Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: [email protected] (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
