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| A wide view of Kabul, Afghanistan. |
KABUL – A bomb explosion in a busy commercial area in Afghanistan's capital Kabul killed at least eight people and injured 22, according to medical officials and witnesses.
The device went off in a western section of the city where members of the minority population gather regularly. Daesh claimed responsibility for the incident via its Telegram channel.
According to a top medical officer at a private hospital, at least eight individuals died and 22 were injured.
According to an Interior Ministry spokeswoman, an investigation team was on the scene to assist the injured and assess casualties.
Ambulances rushed to the scene, which is located near bus stops, according to video footage released online.
The attack occurred just before Ashura, a remembrance of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which is mostly observed by the minority community.
At least eight people were killed and 18 were injured in a Daesh-inspired bombing in Kabul on Friday.
Daesh does not hold any land in Afghanistan, but it does have lethal sleeper cells that target religious minorities as well as Taliban patrols.
Taliban authorities, who took over Afghanistan in August last year following a two-decade insurgency, have promised to preserve minority mosques and other facilities.
According to Sayed Kazum Hojat, a religious expert in Kabul, the Taliban government has increased security in preparation for Ashura but should be more vigilant for potential threats.
There is no current census data, although estimates place the size of Afghanistan's minority community at 10-20% of the 39 million inhabitants, including Persian-speaking Tajiks, Pashtuns, and Hazaras.