Eighty dead in IS bomb attack on Afghanistan's Shia

Scores killed and hundreds wounded at a protest by Afghanistan's Shia Hazara community, as the Islamic State group launched its first attack in the capital Kabul.

MENA

1 min read

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23 July, 2016

Thousands had gathered at the anti-government protest on Saturday [Anadolu]

At least 80 people have been killed and around 200 injured after a bomb exploded at a protest march in Kabul's Deh Mazang Square Saturday.

The Islamic State group claimed the attack via the Amaq news agency which is linked to the jihadis, saying that two fighters "detonated explosive belts at a gathering of Shia".

Thousands of members of Afghanistan's Shia Hazara community had gathered to protest about a new power line, which they say bypasses their provinces.

According to the BBC, a local journalist reported seeing bood and body parts everywhere around the scene of the blast.

The Taliban's spokesperson Zabiullah Mujaheed contacted journalists via email to condemn the attack.

The Hazara make up Afghanistan's third largest group, however have often come into sectarian conflict with the Taliban and other religious extremists in Afghanistan.

IS militants regard Shias as disbelievers, and have targeted their communities around the world.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he was "deeply saddened" by the atrocity, adding that "peaceful protest is the right of every citizen, but opportunist terrorists infiltrated the crowds and carried out the attack, killing and injuring a number of citizens including some security forces."