Kabul blast kills at least 25 at Afghan cultural center
by Associated Press (nbcnews.com) / Dec 28 2017
KABUL, Afghanistan — Attackers stormed a Shiite Muslim cultural center in the Afghan capital Thursday, setting off multiple bombs and killing dozens, authorities said.
Police spokesman Basir Mojahid told NBC News that at least 25 people had been killed and 32 others injured.
“The terrorists have attacked our mosques, our holy places and now our cultural center.”
Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish told the Associated Press that suicide attackers set off an explosion outside the center before storming it. They then set off explosive devices in the basement of the building where scores of people had gathered to mark the December 1979 invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union, he said.
Shiite leader Abdul Hussain Ramazandada said witnesses reported at least one suicide bomber sneaked into the event and was sitting among the participants. He exploded his device and as people fled more explosions occurred.
Initial reports suggested the suicide attackers had struck an neighboring office of the Afghan Voice news agency but it later emerged that the cultural center was the target.
Afghan broadcaster 1TV released images illustrating the extent of the damage, with broken furniture, clothing and pools of blood visible on the floor.
Aftermath of deadly #Kabul attack#AFG pic.twitter.com/eeLUOqJUcS
— 1TVNewsAF (@1TVNewsAF) December 28, 2017
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the local Islamic State affiliate has carried out several attacks targeting Shiites in Afghanistan. The Islamic State also issued a warning earlier this year following an attack on the Iraqi Embassy in Kabul vowing to target Afghanistan’s Shiites. Since then, the IS has taken credit for at least two attacks on Shiite mosques in Kabul and one in the western city of Herat, killing scores of worshippers.
In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied involvement in Thursday’s attack on the cultural center.
The Islamic State affiliate, made up of Sunni extremists, view Shiites as apostates. The IS affiliate is a mix of Uzbek militants belonging to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan who broke with the Taliban, as well as disenchanted insurgents who left the much larger and more well-established Taliban.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called the attack a “crime against humanity.”
In a statement released by the presidential palace, Ghani said: “The terrorist have killed our people. The terrorists have attacked our mosques, our holy places and now our cultural center.” He called them attacks against Islam and “all human values.”
Amnesty International said the attack “underscores the dangers faced by Afghan civilians.”
“In one of the deadliest years on record, journalists and other civilians continue to be ruthlessly targeted by armed groups,” it added.
